were about to try to turn a somersault,
or to stand on his head.

"How round and soft he is!" thought Kate. "How I should like to pat him.
I wonder when he'll find whatever it is that he's looking for! What a
cunning little tail!"

The cunning little tail was soon clapped flat on the ground, and Mr.
Bunny raised himself up and sat on it. He lifted his nose and his
fore-paws in the air and seemed to be smelling something good. His queer
little nose wiggled so comically that Kate again came very near bursting
out laughing.

"How I would love to have him for a pet!" she said to herself.

After sniffing a short time, the rabbit seemed to come to the conclusion
that he was mistaken, after all, and that he did not really smell
anything so very good. He seemed disappointed, however, for he lifted up
one of his little fore-paws and rubbed it across his eyes. But, perhaps,
he was not so very sorry, but only felt like taking a nap, for he
stretched himself out as far as he could, and then drew himself up in a
bunch, as if he were going to sleep.

"I wish he wouldn't do that," thought Kate, anxiously. "I don't want to
shoot him in his sleep."

But Bunny was not asleep. He was thinking. He was trying to make up his
mind about something. There was no way of finding out what it was that
he was trying to make up his mind about. He might have been wondering
why some plants did not grow with their roots uppermost, so that he
could get at them without rubbing his little nose in the dirt; or why
trees were not good to eat right through trunk and all. Or he might have
been trying to determine whether it would be better for him to go over
to 'Lijah Ford's garden, and try to get a bite at some cabbage-leaves;
or to run down to the field just outside of the woods, where he would
very likely meet a certain little girl rabbit that he knew very well.

But whatever it was, he had no sooner made up his mind about it than he
gave one big hop and was out of sight in a minute.

"There!" cried Kate. "He's gone!"

"I reckon he thought he'd guv you 'bout chance enough, Miss Kate," said
a voice behind her, and turning hurriedly, she saw Uncle Braddock.

"Why, how did you come here?" she exclaimed. "I didn't hear you."

"Reckon not, Miss Kate," said the old man. "You don't s'pose I was
a-goin' to frighten away yer game. I seed you a-stoopin' down aimin' at
somethin', and I jist creeped along a little at a time to see what it
was. Why, what _d