A Tale froflu the Skidway 3 3 



not but obey the new impulse within me to 

 stretch up and out. I had been sleeping, had 

 been a dullard and a stupid, and must make 

 up for lost time. 



" From being almost afraid of my foster 

 father, the sun, I began to love him, and to 

 look for his coming, as a child for its parent. 

 I was lonely when he was hidden from me; 

 true, he always sent his hand-maiden, the 

 moon, to cheer us through the night, but her 

 smile was not so bright and inspiring as that 

 of the glorious sun. 



" By the time I was thirty years old, I 

 had reached the height of a man, and felt 

 every inch of my hard-gained height. The 

 rabbit could no longer jump over me and 

 make me feel mean and small, as he had done 

 years before. He had to run around me now, 

 and I laughed at him and felt glad for every 

 inch of my height. The snows of winter no 

 longer bowed me down, as they had done 

 when I was small, nearly breaking my back, 

 and covering me until I could not see the 

 world. I could now keep my head above even 



