Atondido Stories
How the Rabbit Lost His Tail
Once upon a time, ages and ages ago, the rabbit had a long tail,
but the cat had none. She looked with envious eyes at the one
which the rabbit had. It was exactly the sort of a tail she longed
to have.
The rabbit was always a thoughtless careless little beast. One
day he went to sleep with his beautiful long tail hanging straight
out behind him. Along came Mistress Puss carrying a sharp
knife, and with one blow she cut off Mr. Rabbit's tail. Mistress
Puss was very spry and she had the tail nearly sewed on to her
own body before Mr. Rabbit saw what she was doing.
"Don't you think it looks better on me than it did on you?"
asked Mistress Puss.
"It surely is very becoming to you," replied the generous un-
selfish rabbit. "It was a little too long for me anyway and I'll tell
you what I'll do. I'll let you keep it if you will give me that sharp
knife in exchange for it."
The cat gave Mr. Rabbit the knife and he started out into the
deep forest with it. "I've lost my tail but I've gained a knife," said
he; "I'll get a new tail or something else just as good."
Mr. Rabbit hopped along through the forest for a long time
and at last he came to a little old man who was busily engaged in
making baskets. He was making the baskets out of rushes and he
was biting them off with his teeth. He looked up and spied Mr.
Rabbit with the knife in his mouth.
"O, please, Mr. Rabbit," said he, "will you not be so kind as to
let me borrow that sharp knife you are carrying? It is very hard
work to bite the rushes off with my teeth."
Mr. Rabbit let him take the knife. He started to cut off the
rushes with it, when snap went the knife! It broke into halves.
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