BUMPS AND HIS BUDDIES
Once there was a little boy named Bumps, a name he was given because of the many times he fell down, bumping his little legs and head. He was a roly-poly little chap, a bit too heavy for his height, and when he started off to work or play he was usually in such a hurry that he tumbled over. Now Bumps lived in a wee hut ’way off in the country, with his mother, who was quite poor. In the mornings he would hustle out to chop wood and gather wild berries for their breakfast, always wishing that he could find a pot of gold to make his mother rich and happy. Finally he decided to start out into the big world to seek his fortune, and while his mother hated to have her little son leave her, she felt sure he would be successful because he had always been such a good boy.
So one bright sunny morning Bumps, after kissing his mother good-bye, set out on his long journey with a rabbit’s foot in his pocket for luck and only a little lunch to eat on the way. He walked for miles and miles in the direction of the city until his little legs grew very, very tired. So he sat down to rest and to eat his luncheon, only to find that he had devoured it, bit by bit, as he trudged along. It was getting toward the end of the afternoon when he suddenly saw a little brown rabbit with a white tail hopping along ahead of him. He longed for the big gun which he had left behind in the woodshed, for he knew that he must soon have more food and he thought the rabbit would make a good supper. But just then he spied a stone with which he thought he might kill Mr. Rabbit. Bumps threw the stone with all his might, just missing him by inches, and the rabbit, instead of running away, scampered right up to him, and sitting up straight, held out one little foot. Then it occurred to Bumps that here he was carrying a rabbit’s foot for good luck, and yet he had tried to bring bad luck upon this poor little creature. With tears in his eyes he gathered the rabbit in his arms, calling him, “Dear little brown Bunny!” From that moment Bumps and the Bunny were the best of friends, and journeyed on together.
It was growing dusk by this time and Bumps was so hungry that he began hunting about in his pockets for crumbs of his luncheon. When the little brown Bunny saw him do this, and also saw that Bumps didn’t find anything to eat in his pocket, he began running about, pausing every now and then to sniff the air with his little funny nose. At last he dashed off at a great pace, and Bumps saw him busily scratching and digging in the ground. When he caught up with him he saw that Bunny had uncovered a hidden basketful of the most delicious things to eat, which a picnic party had buried away in the cool, clean earth for another day’s luncheon. Bumps and Bunny sat down under a tree for supper, and Bumps fed his little friend all the lettuce out of the sandwiches.
It was now quite dark and the two travelers felt very drowsy, so they curled up close to each other and fell sound asleep. Bumps was dreaming happily about his return home laden with riches, when he felt something nibbling at his ear, and awakened to find that Bunny was trying to tell him something. He couldn’t make out what the little fellow was trying to say, until he heard a deep growl among the trees, and saw a big shadow in the moonlight. He was terribly frightened, but knew that the wisest thing to do was remain perfectly still. To his surprise, the Bunny scampered off right under the nose of an enormous bear, making all the noise he could in the dead leaves. Of course, the bear ran after him through the woods, which was exactly what clever Bunny had planned, while Bumps stayed just where he was, breathless with fright and excitement. There was a great crashing and a terrific growling, and then all was still! After a minute or two Bunny reappeared, tumbling tail over ears with laughter, and sitting up on his hind legs, motioned Bumps to follow him. The two set off together through the underbrush, and all the while the frightful growlings grew louder and louder, until they came to where they saw old Mr. Bear stuck tight in a hole in the ground, into which he had vainly tried to follow Bunny, who had cleverly led him in and then escaped through the hole’s back door. Bumps and Bunny left the bear stuck securely in the ground, fairly growling his head off, and went back to sleep. Bumps felt fonder than ever of Bunny, for he felt that the little animal’s quick wit and quick action had saved his life.
In the morning the two friends proceeded on their way, walking as fast as they could, for they were in great haste to make their fortunes. Occasionally they met a good farmer who gave them apples and cabbages to eat. They walked and walked all day long; sometimes Bunny ran ahead over the roofs of the hills, but he always returned to see if Bumps was following him. And all the time Bumps’ little legs were growing stronger and stronger, so that he seldom fell and hardly felt tired at all, which made him very proud. Finally, Bunny vanished over the top of the very last, highest hill, and though Bumps looked and looked for him, he didn’t come back. When Bumps caught up with him he found him sitting on the doorstep of a great river, wondering how they would ever get across. Alas! Poor Bumps himself could see no way to go on, and feared that they would have to turn back. While they stood sadly looking at the deep water as it went rushing by them, there was a great splashing and rippling all about, and hundreds of fish, of every kind and color in the whole world, poked their heads up above the surface, just exactly as if they were trying to tell the travelers something. Then Bumps and Bunny noticed that the fish were floating side by side, packed tightly together all the way across the river in a long, glistening silver bridge. Bumps had never heard of anyone crossing a river on a bridge of fish, but he stepped boldly out, with Bunny in his arms. And when he had safely reached the other side, without even so much as getting the soles of his feet damp, he thanked the fish for their kindness by digging hundreds of worms for them (with the help of Bunny’s sharp little claws). As fast as they could dig they threw the worms into the river, and just as fast they disappeared into the fishes’ mouths.
Then the two travelers resumed their journey, telling each other how fortunate they had been thus far. They went on and on, until Bumps thought they must be approaching the city. They were pushing their way through a little thicket—Bunny hurrying on ahead, as usual—when Bumps heard the hiss of a snake. He looked around quickly to see where it came from, and right in front of him on the ground he saw a poor little bird held spellbound by the glittering eye of an ugly snake, so frightened that it could neither move nor fly. Without stopping to think that the snake might injure him, Bumps seized a big stick and killed it. Instantly the poor little bird was transformed into a beautiful Fairy, not much bigger than a robin. She told Bumps that a cruel Witch had put an enchantment upon her, forcing her to live in the body of a helpless little bird, at the mercy of all the beasts of the forest, until she should be rescued by some kind person. The Fairy was so grateful to Bumps for her release that she made him a present of a beautiful purse, in which was just one shining gold coin. This was the first money Bumps had ever had for his very own and he felt that his good fortune was coming true at last. Thanking the Fairy politely, he skipped merrily on, overtaking Bunny, and soon the two friends were within sight of the big city.
The first person Bumps and Bunny met on their arrival in the city was a man selling ice cream, and although he hated to part with the gold-piece, Bumps could not resist buying two fat cones. As they walked along eating them and gazing at all the wonderful things about them, Bumps’ toes suddenly began to feel very cold. Glancing down he saw that some of the ice cream had dropped through a hole in his shoe, which was badly worn from the long journey. Right across the street there was a fine big shoe store, and as Bumps stood wishing he had a pair of handsome new shoes, imagine his delight and surprise at suddenly feeling the smooth, hard surface of another coin in the purse the Fairy had given him! At first he thought there might have been two gold-pieces in the purse when the Fairy gave it to him and he had been so stupid as to have only discovered one of them. But when, after paying for the shoes, he felt still another coin, he knew that he had been given a wonderful gift indeed, and that the purse was truly a magic one, which would never become empty.
It was now an easy matter for Bumps to buy all the pretty things he had planned to take back to his dear mother, of which there were so many that he had to buy a great balloon to which was fastened a basket big enough to hold everything. And Bumps and Bunny and all the gifts purchased with the Fairy’s money sailed away in it, over the wide river and all the hills, until they came in sight of the little home. Bumps landed the balloon in his own front yard, and he and Bunny rushed in to tell his mother the story of his good fortune. She was delighted with all the presents he brought her, and because they were never able to empty the magic purse of its last shining gold-piece, Bumps and his mother always had everything they wanted, and lived happily together forever after!