April Fool's Day

"Wake up, Billy!" called Bunny. "Wake up and see how hard it is snowing."

Billy opened his sleepy eyes and rolled out of bed.

Then he went to the door and peeped out.

"April fool, April fool!" shouted Bunny.

Billy laughed. Then he hopped out of doors.

It was a warm sunny day, just the day to run around and play jokes.

But first the little rabbits had to find their breakfast.

Now that the warm days were coming they could find plenty to eat.

On this first day of April Bunny found the biggest acorn he had ever seen. It was hidden in a little hole, and he saw it when he sat down to eat his breakfast.

"Oh, oh!" he said to himself. "Now I can play a joke on Bobby Gray Squirrel.

"I am going to tie a string to this acorn, and when Bobby tries to pick it up I shall pull it away from him."

He told Bobtail and Billy about the joke he was going to play on the gray squirrel.

"Ho, ho!" laughed Billy.

"Ha, ha!" laughed Bobtail.

"We must hurry and finish our breakfast," said Bunny.

"Bobby will be out hunting for nuts very soon."

In a few minutes the three rabbits had finished their breakfast. Then Bunny hopped away to find a string he had seen under the oak tree. It was the same string they had used to fly their kite. There Bunny found it, and he tied the string around the acorn. Then he scampered back to his brothers. They were waiting for him near the old stone wall.

"Let's fool Sammy Red Squirrel first," said Billy.

"I saw him run out of his hole just a minute ago."

Bunny put the acorn in front of Sammy's door. Then he held on to the other end of the string and hid behind a big rock. Bobtail and Billy hid behind the pine tree. They all kept as still as mice. They did not even shake one of their long ears.

"There is Sammy now," whispered Billy. "I can see him running along the path."

"Don't make a noise," said Bobtail.

Bunny saw the little red squirrel coming down the path. He kept very still and held on to the string. Sammy came skipping down the path. He was singing a happy little tune:

"One, two, three, four, five, six,
"I'll watch out for April tricks."

Just then he saw the acorn lying on the ground near his door.

"Look at that!" he said. "Bobby Gray Squirrel must have been here.

"Something frightened him, and made him drop that nut near my door."

Now Sammy was very fond of big acorns and he had not had one for a long time. So he pounced on the acorn. But it was not there! Bunny had given the string a quick pull. Sammy put his hand down on a rock. There was no acorn to be seen.

"April fool!" shouted Bunny.

"April fool!" shouted Billy and Bobtail.

The three rabbits hopped out from their hiding places. They laughed and laughed, and Sammy laughed, too.

"That was a good trick," he said.

"We are going to play it on Bobby Gray Squirrel, now," said Bunny.

"May I go with you?" asked Sammy.

"Oh, yes!" said the three rabbits.

So off through the woods they all went.

"Bobby often comes to the big oak tree," said Billy. "I think that will be a good place to play the trick."

Bunny put the acorn on the ground, and then they all hid behind the tree. They did not wait very long before they saw Bobby coming. And in another minute Bobby saw the acorn.

"Ho, ho!" he said. "Sammy Red Squirrel must have dropped that big acorn. I will pick it up."

He ran along the ground toward the oak tree. Bunny held on to the string. He was going to wait until Bobby took hold of the acorn and then pull it away. It was so still that the rabbits could hear Bobby's feet as they pattered on the ground. Then all at once it was not still in the woods. Jip, the dog, came bounding along the little path.

"Bow-wow, bow-wow!" he barked. "Look out for me. I am coming."

What a scampering there was!

Bobby forgot all about the acorn and skipped up the oak tree. Sammy skipped up the tree after him. The three little rabbits put their ears down on their heads, and hopped away out of sight.

"Bow-wow, bow-wow!" said Jip. "Where has every one gone?

"I thought I saw someone under this tree as I came along the path."

The acorn lay on the ground where Bunny had left it. Four little bright eyes watched Jip from the oak tree. Sammy wished he could call out "April fool," to Jip. But he was afraid of dogs, so he kept very still. Bobby kept still, too, and the three little rabbits hopped along towards home.