THE JACK RABBITS 



In the early spring two babies looking 

 like small balls of soft gray fur hopped 

 about a field where a farmer had begun 

 the labor of seedtime. They were very 

 young, having first seen the world but a 

 few days before, inexperienced and timid 

 but curious. They ventured near the 

 farmer tilting their long ears forward, 

 bulging out their bright eyes and rapidly 

 moving their nostrils. What curious 

 creature was this? He made a rapid 

 movement toward them trying -to pick 

 one up. They dodged, and laying their 

 long ears far back on their shoulders, 

 each made his maiden run in a different 

 direction. 



One hid and became the smallest pos 

 sible ball of gray with a fast beating 

 heart, but otherwise as motionless as 

 the sod that aided his concealment. 

 The other, the farmer pursued with un- 

 relentless energy. In vain he dodged 

 and doubled ; a coat descended upon him 

 at the right moment and the farmer, 

 breathless but triumphant, bore him away 

 to make his future home with a large 

 family of noisy children. 



He rapidly became accustomed to his 

 changed manner of living, drank milk 

 from a saucer after carefully examining 

 it on all sides, sorted out his favorite 

 vegetation from the bunches of green 

 the children brought him and lay hidden 

 in some safe corner during the day. 



At evening, his natural time for frolic, 

 he would come out and romp with the 

 children, seeming to enjoy being chased 

 about the room, hopping under or leap 

 ing over the furniture, or hiding in- tin- 

 thought of nooks and jumping out sud 

 denly. It was certainly not because he 

 feared them for often if one gave up th& 

 chase and sat down he would bound to 

 her lap, softly lick her hands or turning 

 round and round a great many times, 

 scratch her dress rapidly with his fore 

 paws and bite it savagely with his sharp 

 little teeth, as though making a nest in 

 the wild grass, then nestle down as with 



the strongest intention of staying all 

 night, but perhaps springing up to begin 

 an elaborate toilet very much like that 

 of a cat. 



He rebelled against being caged at 

 night and as he grew and became strong, 

 would sometimes strike such a blow with 

 his hind legs that the girls lacked the 

 courage to pursue the contest and called 

 upon their elders. 



A spoiled and petted darling, he led a 

 life of luxury and mischief, eating many 

 things which his ancestors never dreamed 

 such as pastry of all kinds, cheese, pre 

 serves and wall paper a great delicacy, 

 gnawing holes in clothes and nibbling 

 the house plants when he thought him 

 self unobserved by the much tried house 

 wife from whose hand he sometimes re 

 ceived chastisement. At such times he 

 uttered a piteous cry very much like that 

 of a human baby and crept to his darkest 

 corner to bound out and repeat his act 

 of mischief as soon as her back was 

 turned. 



Thus he grew to be a large and beau 

 tiful jack rabbit and as autumn ap 

 proached, the fur next his skin took on 

 a whitish look showing that by winter 

 his coat would be as colorless as the 

 snow. 



From the first, the dog was his avowed 

 enemy. Whenever he appeared in sight, 

 the rabbit bounded to some one's pro 

 tecting arms. One day when romping in 

 the yard he strayed too far from his 

 protectors and the children, seeing the 

 dog and realizing his danger, uttered the 

 cries that precipitated it. The dog, tak 

 ing it to be a command, gave chase and 

 shook their pet to death before their 

 horror stricken faces. 



That evening they buried him in a box 

 lined with autumn leaves, and wet with 

 many childish tears. 



The other rabbit was claimed by his 

 parents after his mate was carried away. 

 Being fortunate enough to be in charge 

 of those who better understood the re- 



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