^eer IV ays of Br er Rabbit. 53 



defenseless creatures all — that take possession of 

 man's abandoned quarters, and enjoy his protection. 

 Bunny knows this, I think; and so there is no other 

 place in the woods that he loves so well as an old 

 camping ground. 



The play was soon over; for it is only in the early 

 part of the evening, when Br'er Rabbit first comes 

 out after sitting still in his form all day, that he gives 

 himself up to fun, like a boy out of school. If one 

 may judge, however, from the looks of Simmo's over- 

 alls, and from the number of times he woke me by 

 scurrying around my tent, I suspect that he is never 

 too serious and never too busy for a joke. It is a 

 way he has of brightening the more sober times of 

 getting his own living, and keeping a sharp lookout 

 for cats and owls and prowling foxes. 



Gradually the playground was deserted, as the 

 rabbits slipped off one by one to hunt their supper. 

 Now and then there was a scamper among the under- 

 brush, and a high jump or two, with which some 

 playful bunny enlivened his search for tender twigs ; 

 and at times one, more curious than the rest, came 

 hopping along to sit erect a moment before the old 

 log, and look to see if the strange animal were still 

 there. But soon the old log was vacant too. Out 

 in the swamp a disappointed owl sat on his lonely 

 stub that lightning had blasted, and hooted that he 



