Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-11-22
Bunny Bobta;1

how excited all the little animals
would get, because it was the ambi-
ton of each to 60 to live in some
beautiful home out IA the big world
and become the pet Of a dear little
boy or girl If one of the Dummies was
carried away, then all the other bun
MES would shake one of their fore
feet and say, Good luck, good luck
The bunnie Of our story was walt
ing his turn. He hoped he would be
able to ride out In a carriage some
day, like the Teddy bears and the real
dogs did. He saw them pass the store
every day, and they looked very
happy. Even if he did not get out into
the big world before, he felt sure that
Christmas would find him in the
stocking of some happy child.
But Bunnie Bobtail did not have to
wait until Christmas. One frosty night
in October fire broke out in the
street. 1t soon reached the store
where the Dummies lived. If they had
been real Dummies, think they would
have hoped far, far away out of the
smoke and heat and water; but, not
being real Dummies, they had to sit
right on the shelf and get burnt.
Bunny Bobtail will never forget that
terrible night, never. Some time dur
ing the roaring Of the fire and the
Of the firemen a heavy
stream Of water picked poor Bunnie
Bobtail right off his feet and carried
him off, where he lay, half drowned,
half suffocated and wholly frightened
until morning. He couldn't see where
he was because he had lost one Of his
beautiful pink eyes, neither could he
smell because his whiskers were
singed away, and he couldn't wag his
tail If he had been ever so happy, for
the good reason that there wasn't
enough Of it left to wag. But he wasn't
happy, not one bit; he was terribly
worried to know what had become of
the other Bunnie Whites! he hoped
none of them were quite as miserable
as he. Poor little Bunnie Bobtail!
When the big city began to wake
up, he heard boy calling down the
street. He listened with his big ears
as the boy came nearer and heard him
call, "Mornin' papirs, all about the big
fire" Nearer and nearer came the boy
and then he stepped right on poor
Bunny Bobtaips sore little stump.
Gee, if here amt rabbit" the boy
said right out loud, just as If some
body was there to hear. Hes all
smoked up, and his tails most gone;
but I'll take him home to Babe.
guess Mother can fix him up
Bunnie Bobtail squinted hard with
his one eye, and, sure enough, it was
boy, big boy with a bag of morning
papers slung over his shoulder and the
next thing Bunny Bobtail knew he was
in the boys pocket all mixed up with
a top, top-strings, nails, and chewing
gum. He stayed there a long time.
until Buvver-that wasn't his real
name, but what Babe called him-sold
all his papers and went home to break
fast.
L must say that our poor little bunny
was disappointed when Buvver took
him out of his dark pocket. His new
home was little and old, and in a very
shabby part of the city near the freight
yards. Babes people were very, very
poor, and Muvver, as she called her,
took in washing and ironing. Babe
had no furry Teddy or fat Billikin to
play with, nothing but an old black
Dinah that Muvver made from one OF
Buvver's stockings. She had no pref
ty white frocks tied with blue ribbon,
sither, just plain blue-and-white
checked gingham: but, when Bunny
Bubtail looked up into Babes face
why, he thought he had never seen
ANYTHING so sweet in all his life! When
he was Rugged up under her fat little
chin and then kissed ever so many
times, he was sure Of it. Bunny Bob
tail chirked right up and forgot all
about his lost eye and whiskers.
While Babe and Buvver ate their
breakfast, Muvver took the poor, tous-
led little bunnie and sewed another
eye on him. 1t wasn't pink eye be-
cause Muvver had no pin beads, just
common black ones; but it was an
sye. anyway. Then she mended his
poor stubby tail and fastened some
brand new whiskers to his nose. After
this she put him in her tlfb of suds and
scrubbed him with stiff bush until
she was sore all over, then rinsed him
and hung him out to dry In the sun.
Bunny Bobtail never looked so funny
in all his life as be did pinned to the
by his two long ears. He
was glad none Of the other Dummies
we're around to see him. When Muv-
yer took him down, he was clean and
white and dry, as good as new, II his
tail was nothing but a stump. That
was WHY Muvver called him Bobtail.
Bunney Bobtail was never lonesome
otter this. Babe carried him about all
day long, and talked to him IN her
sweet baby way. He could not under
stand what she said, at first, but he
soon learned. When she ate her din
ner, he sat on the tray OF her high
chair right beside her. When she play
ed at the window, he sat on the win
dow sill and looked out. When Babe
went out in the little yard to watch
Muvver hang the clothes, why, Bunny
Bobtail went, too. Babe had no car
riage; but, when Buvver came home
from school, he took them to ride in
his soap-cart. They went ever so far,
far out to a grove OF hickory trees,
under which Buvver got bag full OF
nuts to take home. They had lovely
ride, and, when they got home, Babes
eyes would not keep open hardly long
enough to eat her bread and milk.