THE RIBBON TREE
Reading edition
In the story before this I told you how a little girl opened the door of her cottage when the two little rabbits went rat-a-tat-tat three times. And you remember she was singing a song about her pretty ruffled dress which she meant to put on before the prince came riding by. Well, as soon as the two little rabbits sat down in the parlor, the little girl said:
"I have a little tree, on which silk ribbons grow; Some are red as roses, some are white as snow. And some are yellow, pink and blue, Come, I'll show my tree to you."
And then she led Little Jack Rabbit and Uncle John Hare into her garden and showed them this wonderful tree. It certainly was a beautiful tree, just covered with little silk ribbons of many colors and on the topmost branch Bobbie Redvest had a nest full of little blue eggs.
And while they stood there admiring this wonderful tree, five little dwarfs ran into the garden and said:
"We want a yard of ribbon As blue as sunny sky, Two yards of purple color And three of crimson dye."
Then the little girl took a pair of silver scissors from her pocket and clipped off the ribbons. And wasn't it wonderful? No sooner had she cut off a piece than another grew in its place. And after she had rolled up the ribbons in a neat package, the five little dwarfs each took a diamond out of his pocket and gave it to her, and then they hurried away without a word to the two little rabbits.
"They never speak to anyone except in poetry," said the little girl, "and maybe they were too bashful to think of a rhyme for you."
"I'd like to buy a blue ribbon for a tie," said Uncle John Hare.
"I will give you one for nothing," said the little girl, "if you will take me in your Bunnymobile to the One-Two-Three-Cent Store in Catnip City."
"All right," answered Uncle John Hare. So the little girl cut off a piece of blue ribbon and tied it around his neck and then off they went to the One-Two-Three-Cent Store.
The Little Girl Tied a Ribbon Around Uncle John Hare's Neck.
"I sell these ribbons for Pussy Cats and Bow-wow Dogs," she said, opening a box which she carried under her arm. "Then I buy groceries and shoes for myself, and some day when the prince comes riding by on his big white horse he will stop to see me, and then maybe he'll ask me to marry him, and I shall be a princess. But I shall take my little magic tree with me and plant it in the castle garden, for it is my lucky charm." And in the next story, just wait until you hear what happens.