Little Jack Rabbit and the Squirrel Brothers

Excerpt

Never stop upon your way,
Just to fool around and play.
Learn to quickly go to school;
Never, never break this rule.

But, oh dear me. One morning when Little Jack Rabbit met the Squirrel Brothers, Featherhead, the naughty gray squirrel, asked him to stop and play a game of marbles.

“Where are your marbles?” asked the little rabbit.

“Here they are,” answered Featherhead, taking some red and yellow oak apples out of his pocket. “They make dandy marbles.”

Little Jack Rabbit dropped his school books, and quickly dug a hole in the ground. Then they all took turns rolling the marbles to see who would have the first shot.

The little bunny’s was the first to drop into the hole, although Twinkle Tail’s was very close and Featherhead’s not far away.

It was then easy for Little Jack Rabbit to hit the two marbles. Why, he couldn’t miss them, they were so close. I guess they would have been playing until now if all of a sudden, just like that, Bobbie Redvest hadn’t called out:

“Ding-a-ling! ding-a-ling! the school bell is ringing.”

“Gracious me!” cried little bunny, and off he went, clipperty clip, lipperty lip. Featherhead and Twinkle Tail picked up their books and followed.

It certainly was lucky that the little robin had shouted, “Ding-a-ling! ding-a-ling!” for hardly had they reached the top of the hill when the school bell commenced: “Ding, dong! ding, dong! ding, dong!”

“Hurry up!” cried Little Jack Rabbit, “or we’ll be late,” and he hopped along faster than ever.

Professor Crow was standing in the doorway waiting for the last scholar to arrive.

All out of breath and scared to death,
Came little Jackie Bunny.
And Twinkle Tail began to quail,
And Featherhead felt funny.
They thought the teacher standing there
Gave them a cold and angry stare.
Perhaps he did, but soon he went
And o’er his platform table bent,
While Featherhead and Twinkle Tail
Slipped in their seats with faces pale.
Then up stood stern Professor Crow
And said some scholars are so slow
That if they’d stop upon the way
They’d never get to school all day.

Then he sat down and called the school to order. But, oh dear me! None of the little marble players knew his lesson. And instead of being allowed to go when school was over, they were kept in and made to study until late in the afternoon.

If you a naughty act will do,
You may at first escape;
But soon or later you’ll get caught—
So don’t get in a scrape.

Featherhead was the worst pupil in the Shady Forest School and made lots of trouble for Professor Crow.

One day he held a small piece of looking glass in the sunlight. The flash almost blinded the poor old crow’s eyes, and at first he couldn’t tell who had done it. But naughtiness will always out, and the next time Featherhead was caught.

Yes, sir! The next time he tried it on Professor Crow, that old gentleman bird jumped down from the platform and took hold of that naughty squirrel’s ear. And not so very gently, either.

Featherhead squirmed and tried to get away, but the good professor held on tight, and pretty soon the little squirrel grew very quiet indeed....