The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1904-06-10

they'd hurry and open. guess I'll rub
them. Maybe that will help" Rub
bling, however, only made them sore,
SO he soon stopped it, Then one day
they opened all by themselves, and
he was proud indeed But very soon
he found something to grumble about.
Don't take my fur," he said. 1T is
too thin"
do stop complaining" answered his
mother. "A week ago you had no fur
at all. 1t will be as thick as mine in
time"
well, my legs won't get any bet
ter, anyhow" he went on. Just see
them. My front ones are ever so much
shorter than my back ones. Why are
they not alike?"
For shame!" cried his mother. 'No-
thing suits you. How could we rabbits
take jong jumps if our legs were all
the same size? You should see your
father jump"
Our father!" cried all the Dummies.
Have we a father"
ITO be sure you have" replied Mrs
Rabbit. When you are a little older
we will all go out to see him." After
this Mrs. Rabbit had very little peace.
Jackie especially was always asking
her questions.
Il suppose it is because he has a SUI
perior mlnd," she told herself. Never
theless, it was very tiresome. At last
canlo the important day when the chill
dren were to see their father for the
first time. They had grown quite big
and were looking very pretty indeed
with their new grayish brown topcoats,
their whitish vests and their cunning
little upturned white tails. Their faith
er was very proud when he saw them.
He was big rabbit, with long whis-
kers, and very wise in rabbit ways, so
of course they learned many things
from him. He showed them how to
gnaw bark, so that their teeth, which
were growing all the time, might not
get too long, and how to hold their
ears so that they could hear the least
sound and run for cover. He also
showed them how to crouch down
among the grass and leaves and lie
so still that an enemy would new r
guess they were there. Besides this
he told them where they could find the
juicy young vegetables and the tender
green things that rabbits so love.
No wonder they felt very, very wise
as they scampered home after the
talk was over.
Tomorrow 1 shall try all those
things" Jackie decided. But alas! in
the morning their mother came to
them in great trouble. "My children"
she said, 1.-THE reapers are out They
are coming nearer and nearer, and
soon our home will be torn open and
we ourselves killed perhaps There Is
no time to talk she went on, seeing
question on Jackie's lips, "do just as
tell you. will wait until those dread
full men are looking the other way.
Then, when l say run don't stop
second, but follow right after me. I
know a good hiding place IL we can
only reach it."
OF course the little Dummies were ter
ribly frightened. That is all except
Jackie. He was more anxious to find
out what made the strange noise he
heard. So when his mother, waiting
her chance, cried run" he went only
few steps beyond the burrow and
there stopped. "I'll soon see what it
is" he said to himself But alas! just
then some one called: There goes
bunny. Catch him, Quick!" and before
he had time to jump a hand was out
stretched and he found himself pris-
oner
Now, indeed, he regretted not obey
ing his mother. Oh, how good he would
be if he could only get back to her once
more! he thought, but struggle as he
would he could not get away. So,
with his heart beating wildly he tried
to resign himself to his fate. At last,
after what seemed long, song time
to unhappy Jackie, the voice said:
Poor little bunny, he does seem so
miserable, think / must let him so.
wonder if he can find his mother"
Jackie's heart leaped with joy. Eyes,
yes, l will find her." he tried to say,
land, oh, I'll be so good after this!-
so good!" Then, all at once, the ter
rible hands seem to fall away from him
and for one delicious moment he could
not move, SO great was his happiness.
In the next he had darted away, just
as straight as he could go for the
thicket where his unhappy mother
watched and waited.
And how she fondled him! Smooth