ckly out of the bag in
those days at the beginning of time. And all the night beasts and
night birds and night insects give a sunset chorus in the jungles at
nightfall.

II

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 unselfish
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.

"O, dear! O, dear!" cried Mr. Rabbit. "What shall I do! What shall I
do! You have broken my nice new knife."

The little old man said that he was very sorry and that he did not
mean to do it.

Then Mr. Rabbit said, "A broken knife is of no use to me but perhaps
you can use it, even if it is broken. I'll tell you what I'll do.
I'll let you keep the knife if you will give me one of your baskets in
exchange for it."

The little old man gave Mr. Rabbit a basket and he started on through
the deep forest with it. "I lost my tail but I gained a knife. I've
lost my k