TOFFEE BOY By MABEL MARLOWE

There was once a boy who ate so much toffee that when he sat in the sun he melted.

He melted and melted until he was just a brown pool of treacle.

Now this treacle began to move slowly down the hill. It trickled past the school and across a meadow and under a stile, and at last it came to a little brook, running in the valley.

Now there was a plank of wood across this brook, to serve for a bridge, and the treacle trickled over this plank until it reached the middle. Then it stopped.

It was very cool over the water, and before long the treacle began to set. In a very little while the middle of that little bridge was all toffee. Some of it was like a pool of brown glass. Some of it hung over the edges like brown icicles.

Now when it was getting dark a bunny came hopping that way. He hopped to the middle of the bridge, and sat down to watch the sunset.

Presently another bunny came that way.

“What are you doing there?” he said to the first bunny.

“I am sitting down to watch the sunset.”

“I will come too.”

Hop, hop, hop! The second bunny hopped on to the bridge, and sat down to watch the sunset.

Presently another bunny came that way.

195“What are you doing there?” he said.

“We are sitting here to watch the sunset.”

“I will come too.”

The red sun went down and down, and the three bunnies sat still upon that little bridge until the last rays were gone.

“Now I will hunt for cabbage for my supper,” said one.

“Yes, so will I.”

“And so will I.”

Then they all tried to get up.

Pull, pull!

Tug, tug!

Struggle, struggle!

“Oh, dear! oh dear! I can’t get up.”

“Neither can I.”

“Neither can I.”

“I am stuck fast.”

“So am I.”

“And so am I.”

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“See the fine supper I have brought for you.”

197Now just at that moment a man came along. He was a long, lean man, very weary and very hungry, but when he saw those three bunnies on that bridge he began to laugh.

“Ha, ha! Ho, ho! These will do nicely for my supper,” he said. So he stooped and took hold of the plank, and pulled it hard and lifted it up, bunnies and all. He put it on his shoulder, bunnies and all, and went off home.

“See the fine supper I have brought for you,” he said to his wife.

Now when the wife saw the bunnies she was very glad. Very quickly she got paper, and matches and sticks, and made a big fire.

“I will pull some turnips to cook with the bunnies,” she said. So she went into the garden to pull the turnips.

“I will pull some carrots, too,” said the man. So he went into the garden to pull the carrots.

“Oh dear! oh dear! We shall soon be put into a pie,” said one bunny.

“Yes. I am hot enough to be roasting now. What a big fire that old woman has made!”

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She threw open the window.

199It certainly was a big fire. It roared up the chimney, and crackled and flamed, and the room became as hot as an oven.

“Goodness gracious me! I believe I am coming unstuck,” said one bunny in a whisper.

“Yes, so am I.”

“And so am I.”

“Sh! Keep quiet. The old woman is coming back.”

Back came the old woman, with a bunch of turnips in her hand. “Whew, how hot it is!” she said, and she threw open the window.

“Quick!” said all the bunnies at once. There were three little scuffles, three mighty jumps, and three frightened rabbits were gone through the window. In a flash their tails vanished over the hill.

“Where are the bunnies?” said the man, coming in with a bunch of carrots.

But there was nothing but a plank of sticky wood, and a brown pool of treacle on the floor.

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