om the top of the tree,
"Oh, who? Oh, who?" and "He-he-he!"
Mr. Fox slipped off in the woods and cried;
Mr. Coon's broken heart caused a pain in his side.
For it's good-by, ducky,
And it's good-by, dear!
If you ever come to see me,
Come before next year!
For this is Mr. Rabbit, that runs on the grass,
So rise up, ladies, and let him pass.

Mr. Rabbit looked around, and saw all the trouble,
And he laughed and he laughed till he bent over double.
He shook his head, and said his say--
"I'll come a-calling when to-morrow is to-day.
For when you have a ducky,
Don't stay--don't stay--
Go off and come again
When to-morrow is to-day."
For this is Mr. Rabbit, that runs on the grass,
So rise up, ladies, and let him pass.

IV.

TWO QUEER STORIES.

There is no doubt the children were very much surprised to see Mr.
Rabbit. They were astonished to find that he was so large and
solemn-looking. When the negroes on the plantation told them about Mr.
Rabbit--or Brother Rabbit, as he was sometimes called--they had
imagined that he was no larger than the rabbits they saw in the
sedge-field or in the barley-patch, but this Mr. Rabbit was larger
than a dozen of them put together.

In one way or another Sweetest Susan and Buster John and Drusilla
showed their amazement very plainly--especially Drusilla, who took no
pains to conceal hers. Every time Mr. Rabbit moved she would nudge
Sweetest Susan or Buster John and exclaim: "Look at dat!" or, "We
better be gwine!" or, "Spozen Brer Fox er Brer Wolf come up an' dey er
dat big!"

Mrs. Meadows noticed this; indeed, she could not help noticing it. And
so she said:--

"I reckon maybe you expected to find Mr. Rabbit no bigger than the
rest of his family that live in your country."

Before the children could make any answer, Mr. Rabbit began to
chuckle, and he chuckled so heartily that Sweetest Susan was afraid he
would choke.

"I don't wonder you laugh," said Mrs. Meadows, elevating her voice a
little, as if Mr. Rabbit were a little deaf.

"It may not be polite to laugh in company," replied Mr. Rabbit, "but I
am obliged to do it." His voice was wheezy, and he nodded his head
vigorously. "Yes, I am obliged to do it. Why, I could put one of those
poor creatures in my coat-pocket. They are not Rabbits. They are
Runts. Yes, Runts.