The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1900-11-06

!. THE BURIAL O. BUNNIE.

/ no ANiifNlnut flhb W rs lAhiD 80 ~
grief. Little Kltty's rabbit was dead
dead of too much love and cabbage
The only mitigation Of the club sorrow
lay in the prospect Of n magnificent
funeral The members sat on the edge
OF the sidewalk. with their feet in the
gutter. Little Kitty, as chief mourncr
sat against the hydrant Her round
little face had been scorchcd by rivers
OF tears. She felt some citation, how
ever over her prominent position. She
was the youngest and was used TO be
ing ignored. but she hid IT under hel
grief. 81 won't never have mother
rabbit, Tm afraid" she walled
ooh. yes, you viii" Julia Stacy saiC
consollncly. Besides. hc never di,
anything but eat cabbage. lie wasn't
very interesting
But he ct all the cabbage ! give
him." Kitty returned "a If his giutton}
had been virtue.
Don't cry no more" Julia said
"Wen have lovely funeral and IT
send you nay gcranium. We all fee
awful bad cause the bunnic's dead
"And I'll let you bury him in my
candy box with the picture on the GOV
or and the lace paper inside" Mars
Agnew said I'm n burst Of generosity
"and wen have procession and ey
erythng"
Little Kitty frightened yislbly al
this picture and I'll walk In front
OF the procession" she said. "and III
ask old Mrs Mlligan for her Grape
bonnet that she always wears to IN
nefals. and Daisy can play on the harp
kind Of slow aud solemn. and you ear
sing songs"
The other members Of the club clasp
cd their hands rapturOusly-b before
they had not known that little Kitty
was so gifted with imagination. They
felt n new respect, too. for n spirit
which In its deepest grief still rcmem
bcrcd to head the procession.
Mary Agncw went after her candy
box. Daisy returned home to hunt foI
her French harp. while the chici
mourner. Julia. and the other clut
members visited Mrs Milligan in a
body 10 ask the loan Of her Grape bon
net Mrs. Mlligan refused TO lend her
celebrated bonnet. but gave Kitty m
old black shawl which she said would
answer very well for a "weeper' II II
were fastened to any secular headgcar
So Kitty pinned it about her little
brown sailor and surveyed herself with
melancholy pride.
Bunnie was crampcd up into the
candy box and the parallin paper that
had covered chocolate creams was his
shroud. Mary Agnew suggested that
ne be covered with cabbage leaves,
having such a Partially for them In
life. but the other girls secuted the
idea as being unfit for so solemn an &C.
casion.
The procession formed Julia Stacy
and Mary Agncw carried the candy
box aud Immediately behind them
Kitty stalbcd solcmnly. yet with an
eye to the effect Of her mourning; le-
hind her The others Of the club amhlrd,
with Dsisy in the rear. while she
brought weird music from her French
harp they wendell their way toward
Markhasn's livery stable. They knew
Mr. Markham was a charitable man,
and they did not doubt that he would
give the rabbit scpulcher in his back
lot.
He was sitting In front Of the stable,
with his chair tilted back against the
wall. when the procession halted be-
fore him Little Kitty threw back the
shawl in which her features had been
hidden and spoke: "Mr Markham, can
we please bury my bunnle In your back
lott He died this morning, and were
having the lovellest funeral. only we
don't know where TO bury him. It's
'galnst the law to bury things in the
city limits. ma says. but we thought
perhaps you wouldn't care. We didn't
want him to be ceremated"-Kitty
looked about proudly as she said this
word-"if we could help it, He died
cause he ct too much cabbage
Certainly" said Mr. Markham.
Come right through the stable. You
can bury him over In that corner"
Kitty burst into loud sobblng as she
saw her rabbit placed in the earth aft
er Julia and Mary had scooped little
hole out Of the soft dirt. Daisy played
Il Don't Like No Cheap Man" so slow
ly and mournfully that it sounded like
a real dirge. Julia had concluded not
to risk putting her geranium, even
temporarily, over the grave, but sub
stituted some flowers from her moth
er's last summers bonnet. She called
the attention of the chief mourner TO
the fact that these flowers were less
perishable than real ones, and she ar
ranged them with artistic nonchalance
on the mound.
The members Of the CurbstOne club
passed out through the livery stable
after thanking Mr.. Markham for his
courtesy They fingered n moment be-
fore dispensing to their suppers. Lit
tie Kitty detached the black shawl
from her hat. at was a lovely funer-
al" said Julia, with fervor.
Little Kitty was quite intoxicated
with her first taste of the joys Of prom
inence. "Pll tell you what" she said
wen dig him up again tomorrow and
have it all over again"
Little Kitty was human. She did not
want to give up the first Diace in the
procession Of life and retire again to
her old place at the tail - Chicago
News
Words Of Wisdom.
Al1nt AInlinlu lnlL Lntr-n tho rnllinn