The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-08-24
THE TALE OF A RUNAWAY
BUNNY.
As Told by Himself.


lived through the winter in wooden
house with iron bars across the front
in village called menagerie. In the
summer we live out-of-doors, under
the ground. in little homes that we have
have dug out for ourselves with our
sharp claws.
Above the ground, where my brothers
and sisters and play with our friends,
there is green place around it. Be-
yond the fence, as far as l can see, are
grass and trees; and sometimes, when
there were no children to feed me. 1
have thought that the green things on
the other side of the fence looked better
than those inside.
When it is very hot we often stay in
the house all day, and come out to eat
and play in the cool evening. Our
mother always says that early morning
and evening are the proper times to eat
and play. Her mother told her 80. But
grandmother, you know. was not an
American bunny; she lived across the
sea, in different home from ours.
Over there great many rabbits all
lived together in large village called
warren. 1t was on the banks of river
(for it is easier for rabbits to dig in the
loose sand near water), and every house
had door opening into the house next
to it, SO that they could visit each other
without going upstairs. Our mother
often tells us stories that grandmother
had told her about this home. 1t had
no fence around it; they could go where
ever they pleased; but they had to be
very careful to keep out of the way of
dogs and foxes and large birds called
eagles. which would chase them, and
had several times killed members of the
family and other friends. AS all these
enemies were abroad in the day time,
the rabbits had always to eat at night.
Every home in the warren had two or
more doors, so that if one of these ami
mails came in one door after them. they
could run out of another.
had always been very happy here in
the park. but this summer we didn't
move 30 soon as usual. It was hot in
the menagerie. and the flying squirrels
across the way kept up such constant
chattering and quarrelling that they
sometimes made me SO cross / would
really stamp with anger. One day 1
thought of running away to the cool
green woods outside the fence, where
my brothers and sisters couldn't tease
me to play when l didn't want to, nor
eat the green's that the little children
intended for me. In spite of what
grandmother had said, l wasn't afraid
of dogs for l had seen them through the
fence and they had never hurt me, only
parked little. So one night at supper.
time our door was left open, and while
the rest of the family were eating 1
slipped out. Once outside, took the
longest leaps my strong hind legs could
make, and didn't stop till came to the
woods. There l sat up. pricked up my
long ears, looked around and listened,
but heard no one following me. After /
had rested awhile and taken some sup
per, for l had come off without any,
went on again, a long distance this time
till l came to more woods. 1t was late
now, and dark, Except for the noon
cold. though the day had been hot. l
began to feel very lonely and rather
homesick. Every rustic in the leaves
frightened me. By and by 1 heard
something scamper past me. l made
noise and it stopped; and there. in the
moonlight. sitting up on its hind legs
was another bunny! Not like me, for
its dress was grayish brown. and mine is
white and brown in patches; then, too,
she was smaller than | am, and her hind
legs were longer. but her ears were not
so long. Il am very proud of my ears.)
"Who are you," said; land what is
your manner"
my family name," said the brown
bunny. lis Hare. But l am generally
called Molly Cotton tall"
"And will you please tell me-" l said,
"the way to your village. where l can
find warm bed?"
Molly stared at me for a minute, and
then fairly squealed with amusement,
and saw she had four upper teeth in
front instead of two, as have.
1.-THE way to the village!" she said.
"WhY. you would be killed by boy or
a dog before you had taken two leaps"
IL mean your house or your warren"
/ said, "where you sleep under ground"
II don't know what you mean by a
warren" said Molly; land don't sleep
under the ground. l shouldn't like it
at all, though l do know some hares
that sleep in old wooodchuck holes, if
that is what you mean. / sleep in my
little form in the field over there"
"And what is your form?" l asked, for
had never heard the word before.
"Oh. it is just little hollw bed have
made by lying in the long grass. l can't
give you mine for have always slept
there and couldn't rest anywhere else.
But some hares have several. SO II dog
knows where one is, they can go to an