THE THIRD SNOWED-IN STORY
MR. RABBIT TELLS SOME INTERESTING FAMILY HISTORY
THE Little Lady waited until the Story Teller had lit his pipe and satlooking into the great open fire, where there was a hickory log so bigthat it had taken the Story Teller and the Little Lady's mother with twopairs of ice-tongs to drag it to the hearth and get it into place.Pretty soon the Little Lady had crept in between the Story Teller'sknees. Then in another minute she was on one of his knees, helping himrock. Then she said:
"Did Mr. Rabbit tell his story next? He promised to tell about losinghis tail, you know."
The Story Teller took his pipe from his mouth a moment, and sat thinkingand gazing at the big log, which perhaps reminded him of one of thelimbs of the Hollow Tree, where the 'Coon and 'Possum and the Old BlackCrow lived and had their friends visit them that long-ago snowyChristmastime.
"Why, yes," he said, "that's so, Mr. Rabbit _did_ tell that story. WhenMr. 'Coon got through telling how he came near getting into a menagerie,they all said that it certainly was a very narrow escape, and Mr. 'Coonsaid he shouldn't wonder if that menagerie had to quit business, justbecause he wasn't in it; and Mr. 'Possum said he thought if anythingwould _save_ a menagerie that would, for it would keep them from beingeaten out of house and home."
Then Mr. 'Coon said that if that was so, Mr. 'Possum had saved at leastthree menageries by staying right where he was in the Big Deep Woods.This made Mr. Squirrel and Mr. Robin laugh, and the rest wondered whatthose two gigglers had noticed that was funny. Then they all knocked theashes out of their pipes again, and walked over to the window, andlooked at the snow banking up outside and piling up on the bare limbs ofthe big trees. They said how early it got dark this time of year,especially on a cloudy day. And pretty soon Mr. Crow said they had justabout time for one more story before supper, and that Mr. Rabbit oughtto tell now about how, a long time ago, his family had lost their tails.Mr. Rabbit didn't seem to feel very anxious to tell it, but they toldhim that he had promised, and that now was as good a time as any, sothey went back and sat down, and Mr. Rabbit told them
THE TRUE STORY OF THE HARE AND THE TORTOISE, AND HOW JACK RABBIT LOSTHIS TAIL
"Once upon a time," he said, "a great many great-grandfathers back, myfamily had long bushy tails, like Mr. Squirrel and Mr. Fox, only a gooddeal longer and finer and softer, and _very handsome_."
When Mr. Rabbit said that, Mr. Squirrel sniffed and twitched his noseand gave his nice bushy tail a flirt, but he didn't say anything. Mr.Rabbit went right on.
"Well, there was one fine, handsome rabbit who had the longest andplumiest tail of any of the family, and was very proud of it. He was mytwenty-seventh great-grandfather, and was called 'Mr. Hare.' He wasyoung and smart then, and thought he was a good deal smarter than hereally was, though he was smart enough and handsome enough to set thestyle for all the other rabbits, and not much ever happened to him,because he could beat anything running that there was in the Big DeepWoods.
"That twenty-seventh great-grandfather of mine was very proud of hisrunning, and used to brag that in a foot-race he could beat anythingthat lived between the Wide Grass Lands and the Edge of the World. Heused to talk about it to almost everybody that came along, and one daywhen he met one of the Turtle family who used to be called 'Mr.Tortoise' in those days, he stopped and began to brag to him how fast hecould run and how nobody in the Big Deep Woods dared to race with him.
"But Mr. Turtle, he just smiled a little and said: 'Oh, pshaw! you can'trun very fast. I believe I can beat you myself!'
"Well, that did make Grandfather Hare laugh--and made him a little mad,too.
"'You!' he said. 'Why, I'll give you within ten yards of that rail fenceof Mr. Man's, half a mile away, and then beat you across it. Just travelalong, and some time this afternoon, when you get down that way, I'llcome back and let you see me go by. But you'll have to look quick if yousee me, for I'll be going fast.'
"But Mr. Tortoise said he didn't want any start at all, that he wasready to begin the race right then; and that made Grandpaw Hare laugh soloud that Mr. Fox heard him as he was passing, and came over to see whatthe fun was. Then he said that he hadn't much to do for a few minutes,and that he'd stay and act as judge. He thought a race like thatwouldn't last long; and it didn't, though it wasn't at all the kind of arace he had expected.
"Well, he put Mr. Tortoise and my twenty-seventh great-grandfather sideby side, and then he stood off and said, 'Go!' and thought it would allbe over in a minute.
MR. FOX SAID HE DIDN'T HAVE MUCH TO DO FOR A FEW MINUTESAND HE'D ACT AS JUDGE]
"Grandpaw Hare gave one great big leap, about twenty feet long, and thenstopped. He was in no hurry, and he wanted to have some fun with Mr.Tortoise. He looked around to where Mr. Tortoise was coming straddlingand panting along, and he laughed and rolled over to see how solemn helooked, and how he was travelling as if he meant to get somewhere beforedark. He was down on all fours so he could use all his legs at once, andanybody would think, to look at him, that he really expected to win thatrace.
"The more my Grandpaw Hare looked at him the more he laughed, and thenhe would make another long leap forward and stop, and look back, andwait for Mr. Tortoise to catch up again.
"Then he would call to him, or maybe go back and take roundin's on him,and say, 'Come along there, old tobacco-box. Are you tied to something?'Mr. Fox would laugh a good deal, too, and he told my ancestor to go onand finish the race--that he couldn't wait around there all day. Andpretty soon he said if they were going to fool along like that, he'djust go down to the fence and take a nap till they got there; and forGrandpaw Rabbit to call to him when he really started to come, so hecould wake up and judge the finish.
"Mr. Fox he loped away to the fence and laid down and went to sleep inthe shade, and Grandpaw Hare thought it would be fun to pretend to beasleep, too. I've heard a story told about it that says that he reallydid go to sleep, and that Mr. Tortoise went by him and got to the fencebefore he woke up. But that is not the way it happened. Mytwenty-seventh great-grandfather was too smart to go to sleep, and evenif he had gone to sleep, Mr. Tortoise made enough noise pawing andscratching along through the grass and gravel to wake up forty of ourfamily.
"My ancestor would wait until he came grinding along and got up evenwith him, then suddenly he'd sit up as if he'd been waked out of a nicedream and say, 'Hello, old coffee-mill! What do you want to wake me upfor when I'm trying to get a nap?' Then he would laugh a big laugh andmake another leap, and lie down and pretend again, with his fine plumytail very handsome in the sun.
"But Grandpaw Hare carried the joke a little too far. He kept lettingMr. Tortoise get up a little closer and closer every time, until Mr.Tortoise would almost step on him before he would move. And that wasjust what Mr. Tortoise wanted, for about the next time he came along hecame right up behind my ancestor, but instead of stepping on him, hegave his head a quick snap, just as if he were catching fish, andgrabbed my Grandpaw Hare by that beautiful plumy tail, and held on, andpinched, and my ancestor gave a squeal and a holler and set out forthat rail fence, telling his troubles as he came.
"Mr. Fox had gone sound asleep and didn't hear the rumpus at first, andwhen he did, he thought grandpaw was just calling to him to wake up andbe ready to judge the race, so he sat up quick and watched them come. Hesaw my twenty-seventh great-grandfather sailing along, just touching thehighest points, with something that looked like an old black wash-pantied to his tail.
"When Mr. Fox saw what it was, he just laid down and laughed and rolledover, and then hopped up on the top rail and called, out 'All right, I'mawake, Mr. Hare! Come right along, Mr. Hare; you'll beat him yet!'
"Then he saw my ancestor stop and shake himself, and paw, and roll over,to try to get Mr. Tortoise loose, which of course he couldn't do, for,as we all know, whenever any of the Turtle family get a grip they neverlet go till it thunders, and this was a bright day. So pretty soongrandpaw was up and running again with Mr. Tortoise sailing out be
hindand Mr. Fox laughing to see them come, and calling out: 'Come rightalong, Mr. Hare! come right along! You'll beat him yet!'
SAILING ALONG, JUST TOUCHING THE HIGHEST POINTS]
"But Mr. Fox made a mistake about that. Grandpaw Hare was really ahead,of course, when he came down the homestretch, but when he got prettyclose to the fence he made one more try to get Mr. Tortoise loose, andgave himself and his tail a great big swing, and Mr. Tortoise didn't letgo quite quick enough, and off came my twenty-seventh great-grandfather'sbeautiful plumy tail, and away went Mr. Tortoise with it, clear over thetop rail of the fence, and landed in a brier patch on the other side.
"Well, Grandpaw Hare was in such a state as you never heard of! Heforgot all about the race at first, and just raved about his great loss,and borrowed Mr. Fox's handkerchief to tie up what was left, and saidthat he never in the world could show his face before folks again.
"And Mr. Fox stopped laughing as soon as he could, and was really quitesorry for him, and even Mr. Tortoise looked through the fence, and askedhim if he didn't think it could be spliced and be almost as good asever.
"He said he hadn't meant to commit any damage, and that he hoped Mr.Hare would live to forgive him, and that now there was no reason why mygrandpaw shouldn't beat him in the next race.
AWAY WENT MR. TORTOISE, CLEAR OVER THE TOP RAIL]
"Then my ancestor remembered about the race and forgot his other lossfor a minute, and declared that Mr. Tortoise didn't win the race atall--that he couldn't have covered that much ground in a half a dayalone, and he asked Mr. Fox if he was going to let that greatstraddle-bug ruin his reputation for speed and make him thelaughing-stock of the Big Deep Woods, besides all the other damage hehad done.
"Then Mr. Fox scratched his head, and thought about it, and said hedidn't see how he could help giving the race to Mr. Tortoise, for it wasto be the first one across the fence, and that Mr. Tortoise wascertainly the first one across, and that he'd gone over the top rail instyle.
"Well, that made Grandpaw Hare madder than ever. He didn't say anotherword, but just picked up his property that Mr. Tortoise handed himthrough the fence, and set out for home by a back way, studying what heought to do to keep everybody from laughing at him, and thinking that ifhe didn't do something he'd have to leave the country or drown himself,for he had always been so proud that if people laughed at him he knew hecould never show his face again.
"And that," said Mr. Rabbit, "is the true story of that old race betweenthe Hare and the Tortoise, and of how the first Rabbit came to lose histail. I've never told it before, and none of my family ever did; but somany stories have been told about the way those things happened that wemight just as well have this one, which is the only true one so far as Iknow."
SET OUT FOR HOME BY A BACK WAY]
Then Mr. Rabbit lit his pipe and leaned back and smoked. Mr. Dog said itwas a fine story, and he wished he could have seen that race, and Mr.Turtle looked as if he wanted to say something, and did open his mouthto say it, but Mr. Crow spoke up, and asked what happened after that toMr. Rabbit's twenty-seventh great-grandfather, and how it was that therest of the Rabbits had short tails, too.
Then Mr. Rabbit said that that was another story, and Mr. Squirrel andMr. Robin wanted him to tell it right away, but Mr. Crow said they'dbetter have supper now, and Mr. 'Possum thought that was a good plan,and Mr. 'Coon, too, and then they all hurried around to get up somesticks of wood from down-stairs, and to set the table, and everybodyhelped, so they could get through early and have a nice long evening.
And all the time the snow was coming down outside and piling higher andhigher, and they were being snowed in without knowing it, for it wasgetting too dark to see much when they tried again to look out thewindow through the gloom of the Big Deep Woods.
The Hollow Tree Snowed-in Book Page 9