The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1894-12-20
LEGENDS OF CHRISTMAS
How the Cotton Tail Rabbit Got a
SiDsed Back.
The INDIAN THEORY OF The ECHO.
Tales Frem Indian Tradition-How
she FIR was Adopted as the Christi
mas Tree-The Conservation OF the
nl1aslet0e.

Every youngster in the Yakima valley
who has helped an ambitious canine chase
q cottontail or long-legged jack rabbit
over the sagebrush and finally succeeded
in capturing it, has probably noted lit
tie burned or singed spot. or what APP
peared to be one, upon the back Of the
animal and between the shoulders. Per-
haps the small boy may imagine the
rabbit has gotten too near pile of burn
ing hay, sage or salt grass; perhaps be
may think that some sportsman has
nearly but not quite "winged" his game,
and the course Of the bullet had left its
mark. Perhaps he may make other
guesses, or he may not guess at all. One
thing, however, IS sure; and that is, it is
safe to predict that he doesn't know why
that little singed spot appears. II the
small boy be an Indian youngster-well,
that is different; because the little red
skin is away ahead of his white play
mate in folklore and legend. If you
should ask him to tell you all about that
mystifying SINCE, here is the tale he
would impart:
"Once upon time the Rabbit dwelt in
slodge with no one but his grandmother.
1t was his custom every morning, very
early to 60 hunting. But no matter how
early, he was in arising, he always found
that some other one with very long feet
had been along before him. And the
Rabbit wished to know who was this fell
low, 20 he said I will 20 in advance of
him. Accordingly he arose very early
the next morning and departed; but the
person had been there before him, leav-
ing great trail, as usual. Then the Rab-
bit went home and told his gr andmother
that no matter how he tried to be first,
some one was always before. ind he
was angry and said he would set snare
for him. And he did. He waited for
night to come, and he set his snare; and
in the morning when he went to look
behold! he had caught the Sun in his
snare. And he ran to tell bis grand
mother, because he was afraid Then he
went back to the Sun and the Sun said /:
You have done wrong; why have you
done this? Come hither and unite me. ;
And the rabbit could not, for the heat.
Then he got his knife and hung down his
head very low, and ran by the Sun and
cut the bow-string in which he had
caught the Sun. And though he ran very
fast and did not stop, yet he came so near
the Sun that he was burned on the Shout
ders where his head was bowed down. "
And ever since the rabbit has had a
singed spot between his shoulders.
Once upon time there was very nice
little mother bird and she was called the
Turtledove, and abe had little baby that
was stolen by bad old witch and Was
carried away of in the mountains. And
when the witch had gotten to her home
che put the baby down upon the rocks
and pulled and pulled upon his right leg
until it was long, like that of man.
Then she pulled his lett leg until it also
was long. Then she pulled its body out
very long indeed-and behold the baby
was q man, and the old witch married
him. And the Turtledove mourned all of
the time for her baby, yet could not get
1t again, because the witch would not let
her. Then she went to the Eagle, who
could fly everywhere, and the Eagle
searched all over the world for the baby
and finally found it. And it was man.
But the Turtledove knew the man would
remember his mothers voice, 90 abe
went where he was and called to him.
And he heard her and cried out to the
witch to escape; but the witch would not
let him. But the witch was afraid when
she found she was discovered, and she
did not want to lose her husband; so
she crawled into the stomach of q rattle
snake and hid. And when the Eagle and
the Turtledove found this out they asked
the rattlesnake TO give them the baby