ho was
old and fat, brought only fifty cents. My, two dollars was an awful lot of
money!

"Two dollars!" repeated the lady, fumbling in her dress with one hand.
Then, to Bumper's surprise and delight, she added: "I think I'll take him.
I want him for my nephew. Toby's hard to suit, but I think he'll be
pleased with a rabbit. What did you say you called him?"

"Bumper, ma'm!"

"That's a queer name, but I like it."

"It was because he was always bumping his nose when he was a tiny mite,"
the old woman explained, taking the two dollars from the lady. "His mother
named him first, and then his brothers and sisters took it up, and, of
course, I had to follow 'em. Rabbits don't like to be called by two
different names, and if I was you, ma'm, I'd keep on calling him Bumper.
He wouldn't know any other name."

"I will always call him Bumper, but"--sighing--"I'm afraid Toby will want
to nickname him. He makes up the funniest names for all his pets."

"Tell him then Bumper will run away and never come back. Rabbits are more
knowing than you think, ma'm."

"I always thought they were very cute and gentle, but very stupid,"
replied the lady. "But maybe I was wrong. Bumper doesn't look stupid."

"Lordy, ma'm! he ain't no more stupid than that Toby you speak of, whoever
he may be."

"Well, Toby isn't stupid, whatever else you may say of him," smiled the
lady. "He's bright enough, but he's sometimes very thoughtless, and I fear
a little cruel."

"Cruel, ma'm!" And the old woman who sold rabbits for a living stiffened
her bent form, and frowned. She stretched forth a hand as if to reclaim
her Bumper, but the lady moved away with her purchase under her arm.

"Oh, I'll see that he isn't cruel to Bumper," she said.

While listening to all this conversation, Bumper experienced strange and
unusual emotions. He had learned more about white rabbits in a few moments
than his mother had ever taught him in all the days of his youth. They
were considered stupid, were they?--but cute and gentle. Huh! He wasn't
stupid! No, indeed! If the lady thought so he'd show her what a mistake
she'd made.

Just to prove it, Bumper began to gnaw at the lining of the muff, and
pretty soon got his whole body under it, and then he began to kick and
wriggle to get out. He felt he was being smothered alive, and he squealed
aloud. The lady finally rescued him, but not until she had torn away half
the lining from her muff.

"Oh, you stupid little Bump