The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-02-18
The frightened Hare,

! me TIigHtoheo iidio,
Centuries and centuries ago. on the bor
ders of the western ocean. amid grove
| OF palm and viva trees, there lived G
young hare. After a full and dainty re-
past one summer eve. in the verv luxury
Of REPETITION, re stretched out his soft
furry limbs under the shade Of the trees
So contented and happy was he that nj
must needs find for himself sorrow.
"Ah. me-" he sighed, IF his eartf
| should be destroyed, what would become
! of me. 1 wonder?"
At such a terrible thought hack went
his ears and he sfivered and shook ii
every limb. This very moment ii CHANGED
that ripe viva fruit fell with thud
on dry palm leaf
Woes me, woes me.' Easped the
hare; my premonition was heaven born
! This solid earth is dlssoiving into nothing
/ ness, 1 must hence. But where? ne
walled. And starting up. he fled, without
so much as casting a backward iaek-
Another hare saw him scamperins of,
with the fear of death in his eyes.
Pray, sir, what is the natter" he
squeaIed.
Il beg you, do not stop me-"
Nay. sir, I beseech you, tell me.
| And the second hare kept running after
| the first, and repeated the question so
( persistently hiatt he was forced 10 stop
a moments pace and answer. In hollow.
terror-stricken tones he told him The
earth is coming to an end.
Alas, Alasi What viii become Of
! u.s." moaned the listener Of this oreful
news. with tears in his round. amber
eyes. as with trembling limbs he ran by
his side.
And first one hare and then another
joined in this mad stampede. until 100,o go
hares were running In this helter-skelter
race.
Presently they were seen by stag. He
came bounding up. What is the mat
ter?" he inquired. and proudly raised his
lordly head. and djsdainfully dilated his
velvety nostrils.
1.-The world is coming to an enc" in
chorus gasped a thousand painting hares.
1T must be true" thought the stag,
otherwise they could never be so fright
ened, and like the wings of the. wind Off
he flew TO warn all near and dear to
him.
In frantic haste the hares and the stags
ran side by side. In turn they met a
boar, an elk. a wild OK. a rhnoceros, IT,
ger. a buffalo. an elephant, and from one
to the other the direful tidings spread
To the Spirit OF Goodness who dwells in
the forest this headlong fight Of the ami
mas " d. ElTSl lLe liCtS Wills
pered it to him in ironical merriment.
a ripe viva fruit fell on dry palm
leaf, and a hare. startled by the 'thud;'
thinks the world is coming to an end Ha,
ha, ha,' and they burst into loud laugh
Ter, and repeated il gain and again, way
ing their branches in noisy glee, and
shriekng with hoarse. weird voices And
every little leaf rustled and whirled. echo
ing and re-echoing this latest report.
Alas sighed the Spirit, unless I go
to their rescue this great multitude Will
certainly perish untimely. For assur-
edly the earth is not coming to an end
With miraculous speed he turned him
self into a lion. then with majestic stride
FASTENED to the foot of a huge mountain
over which he knew the beasts would
try to climb. There, calm and stately,
he stood still. gasping, painting, terror
stricken huddled and jumbled together
in a sweating mass. The lion stalked IN
among them.
why are you all running away thus?"
he demanded, with a far-reaching voice.
The earth Is coming to an end" the
beasts in their many languages howled,
grunted, roared and beloved.
The earth coming to an end? Who
saw it?" roared the lion.
'9The elephants know all about It," they
cried.
Let the elephant who saw it speak,"
said the lion.
1--WE! we didn't see IT; It was the IL
gers" trumpeted the elephants.
1T was the rhinoceros who saw 1t.
growled the tigers.
"No, it was the buffaloes."
mo, no; not us: it was the wild oxen"
I'VE didn't" they beloved; sit was the
elks.''
The elks: 1.-THE bears" The boars:
1.-The stays" At last it came down to the
hares. And when they were questioned
they pointed to one particularly small
specimen who sat, gasping on his haunch-
es. shriveled up with fear.
rs it true, sir. that the earth is break
ing up?" in august resounding tones.
queried the lion.
please. your majesty, I saw IT," whin-
pered the hare.
Where were you at that moment?'
Near the western ocean, in a grove OF
palm and viva trees. 1 was lying still.
thinking: and then methought. supposing
If this earth were to come to an end,
what would become Of me? And at that
very moment I heard the sound OF the
breaking up of the earth, and straight
way I fled"
oh" snarled the lion. NOW. I pray
YOU mount on my back and return there
with me, and you others, until I return,
do you remain here" he commanded.
and shuddering the hare obeyed
the royal mandate. Rivaling the wind<n
speed. the lion. with the hare on his back,
quickly arrived at the palm grove.
Show me the exact place where the
earth first heaved and quaked''
1T was there just over there, my king"
and the hare pointed a trembling forefoot
to the viva tree N the distance.
The lion strobe to the tree. There was
TO sign Of collapse or disturbance there.
But ne observed that a ripe viva fruit
had fallen on to withered, crsckly palm
leaf. With the sagacity born Of deep con-
temptation, at once he understood the
whole matter. He returned TO the hare
and bid him again mount his back Then
with swinging strides. he fastened back
to the herd Of fearsome beasts, and told
them how
\ leaf Just rustled on the ground,
And scared a hare away;
The other beasts rose with a bound,
COwed BY that hare's dismay
A c. Hyatt Wool