him till I met Hedgehog. Oh, I didn’t mean to forget him, Uncle Hare, I truly didn’t!«
»Neighbor Hare,« chuckled old Hedgehog, winking slyly, »here are carrots enough for four and four and a dozen more. Congratulations. And perhaps in exchange, you can give us a bit of advice or help to make us merry.«
»Perhaps I can,« laughed Hare, and twitched his left ear at an oriole sitting above him. Immediately the bird concert tuned up, and as the merry melodies filled the bramble-bush cottage, its door swung open wide, and the five visitors looked in to see a wondrous birthday feast spread upon a snowy cloth. But more wondrous still were the merry guests, for with Wife Hare were Lady Badger, Brother Bunny, Long Tail and Quick Feet. Hedgehog and Hare shook with laughter at the joke played by Hare, but Mouse, Squirrel, Badger and Rabbit looked a bit ashamed as they slipped into the empty chairs about the table.
As soon as Hare took his place at the head of the table, however, and holding a four-leaf clover in his hand, wished them all luck for the rest of the year, they fell to giggling and joking and eating with never a memory of sigh or tear.
At last Hedgehog sprang to his feet and cried out, »Hurrah for Neighbor Hare, who has made us remember certain things we owe our families. And hurrah for our families, who would rather find each other than all the birthday presents in the world.«
»Hurrah for friend Hedgehog,« answered Hare modestly. »If we had to get along without that gallant knight, where would we be? Fox, Buzzard, Owl, Wolf; he protects us from them all, marching through the forest and over the clearing, fighting our battles and helping us solve our troubles.«
»Hurrah for Hedgehog and Hare,« they all shouted.
»And for birthdays,« squeaked Mouse.
»And birthday parties,« squealed Squirrel.
»Hurrah for everything and all of us,« whispered the tiny wee brother Bunny. And with that they ended the feast of the Hare’s birthday party.
