Speaker 1: Little bun Rabbit from Mother Goose in prose by L.
Frank Baum. Oh, little bun rabbit, so soft and so shy,
Say what do you see with your big round eye?
On Christmas? We rabbits, says Bunny, so shy, keep watch
to see Santa go galloping by Little Dorothy had passed
all the few years of her life in the country,
and being the only child upon the farm, she was
allowed to roam about the meadows and woods as she pleased.
On the bright summer mornings, Dorothy's mother would tie a
sunbonnet under the girl's chin, and then she romped away
to the fields to amuse herself in her own way.
She came to know every flower that grew, and to
call them by name, and she always stepped very carefully
to avoid treading on them, for Dorothy was a kind
hearted child and did not like to crush the pretty
flowers that bloomed in her path. And she was also
very fond of all the animals, and learned to know
them well and even to understand their language, which very
few people can do. And the animals loved Dorothy in turn,
for the word passed around amongst them that she could
be trusted to do them no harm. For the horse,
whose soft nose Dorothy often gently stroked, told the cow
of her kindness, and the cow told the dog, and
the dog told the cat, and the cat told her
black kitten, and the black kitten told the rabbit when
one day they met in the turnip patch. Therefore, when
the rabbit, which is the most timid of all animals
and the most difficult to get acquainted with, looked out
of a small bush at the edge of the wood
one day and saw Dorothy standing a little way off,
he did not scamper away, as is his custom, but
sat very still and met the gaze of her sweet
eyes boldly, although perhaps his heart beat a little faster
than usual. Dorothy herself was afraid she might frighten him away,
so she kept very quiet for a time, leaning silently
against a tree and smiling encouragement at her timorous companion,
until the rabbit became reassured and blinked his big eyes
at her thoughtfully, for he was as much interested in
the little girl as she in him, since it was
the first time he had dared to meet a person
face to face. Finally, Dorothy ventured to speak, so she
asked very softly and slowly, Oh little bun rabbit, so
soft and so shy, Say what do you see with
your big round eye? Many things, answered the rabbit, who
was pleased to hear the girl speak in his own language.
In summer time, I see the clover leaves that I
love to feed upon, and the cabbages at the end
of the farmer's garden. I see the cool bushes where
I can hide from my enemies. And I see the
dogs and the men long before they can see me
or know that I am near, and therefore I am
able to keep out of their way. Is that the
reason your eyes are so big, asked Dorothy. I suppose so,
returned the rabbit. You see, we have only our eyes
and our ears and our legs to defend ourselves with.
We cannot fight, but we can always run away, and
that is a much better way to save our lives
than by fighting. Where is your home, bunny, inquired the girl.
I live in the ground, far down, in a cool,
pleasant hole I have dug in the midst of the forest.
At the bottom of the hole is the nicest little
room you can imagine, and there I have made a
soft bed to rest in at night. When I meet
an enemy, I run to my hole and jump in,
and there I stay until all danger is over. You
have told me what you see in summer, continued Dorothy,
who was greatly interested in the rabbit's account of himself.
But what do you see in the winter. In winter,
we rabbits, said Bunny, so shy, keep watch to see
Santa go galloping by. And do you ever see him,
asked the girl eagerly. Oh, yes, yes, every winter. I
am not afraid of him nor of his reindeer, and
it is such fun to see him come dashing along,
cracking his whip and calling out cheerily to his reindeer,
who are able to run even swifter than we rabbits.
And Santa Claus when he sees me, always gives me
a nod and a smile, And then I look after
him and his big load of toys, which he is
carrying to the children, until he has galloped away out
of sight. I like to see the toys, for they
are so bright and pretty, and every year there is
something new amongst them. Once I visited Santa and saw
him make the toys. Oh tell me about it, pleaded Dorothy.
It was one morning after Christmas, said the rabbit, who
seemed to enjoy talking now that he had overcome his
fear of Dorothy. And I was sitting by the roadside
when Santa Claus came riding back in his empty sleigh.
He does not come home quite so fast as he goes,
and when he saw me, he stopped for a word.
You look very pretty, morning, bun rabbit, he said, in
his jolly way. I think the babies would love to
have you to play with. I don't doubt it, your honor,
I answered, But they'd soon kill me with handling, even
if they did not scare me to death. For babies
are very rough with their playthings, that is true, replied
Santa Claus. And yet you are so soft and pretty.
It is a pity the babies can't have you still,
as they would abuse a live rabbit. I think I
shall make them some toy rabbits which they cannot hurt.
So if you will jump into my sleigh with me
and ride home to my castle for a few days,
I'll see if I can't make some toy rabbits just
like you. Of course, I consented, for we all like
to please Old Santa and a minute later I had
jumped into the sleigh beside him, and we were dashing
away at full speed toward his castle. I enjoyed the
ride very much, but I enjoyed the castle far more,
for it was one of the loveliest places you could imagine.
It stood on the top of a high mountain and
as built of gold and silver bricks, and the windows
are pure diamond crystals. The rooms are big and high,
and there is a soft carpet upon every floor, and
many strange things scattered around to amuse one. Santa Claus
lives there all alone, except for old Mother Hubbard, who
cooks the meals for him, and her cupboard is never bare. Now,
I can promise you. At the top of the castle
there is one big room, and that is Santa's workshop
where he makes the toys. On one side is his
work bench with plenty of saws and hammers and jack knives,
and on another side is the paint bench with paints
of every color and brushes of every size and shape.
And in other places are great shelves where the toys
are put to dry and keep new and bright until
Christmas comes and it is time to load them all
into his sleigh. After Mother Hubbard had given me a
good dinner and I had eaten some of the most
delicious clover I have ever tasted, Santa took me up
into his workroom and sat me upon the table. If
I can only make rabbits half as nice as you are,
he said, the little ones will be delighted. Then he
lit a big pipe and began to smoke, and soon
he took a roll of soft fur from a shelf
in a corner and commenced to cut it out in
the shape of a rabbit. He smoked and whistled all
the time he was working, and he talked to me
in such a jolly way that I sat perfectly still
and allowed him to measure my ears and my legs
so that he could cut the fur into the proper form.
Why I've got your nose too long, bunny, he said once,
And so he snipped a little off the fur he
was cutting, so that the toy rabbit's nose should be
just like mine. And again he said, good gracious, the
ears are too short entirely, so he had to get
a needle and thread and sew on more fur to
the ears so that they might be the right size.
But after a time it was all finished, and then
he stuffed the fur full of sawdust and sewed it
up neatly, after which he put in some glass eyes
that made the toy rabbit look wonderfully lifelike. When it
was all done, he put it on the table beside me,
and at first I didn't know whether I was the
live rabbit or the toy rabbit. We were so much alike.
It's a very good job, said Santa, nodding his head
at us pleasantly. And I shall have to make a
lot of these rabbits, for the little children are sure
to be greatly pleased with them. So he immediately began
to make another, and this time he cut the fur
just the right size, so that it was even better
than the first rabbit. I must put a squeak in it,
said Santa, So he took a box of squeaks from
a shelf and put one into the rabbit before he
sewed it up. When it was all finished, he pressed
the toy rabbit with his thumb, and it squeaked so
naturally that I jumped off the table, fearing at first
the new rabbit was alive. Old Santa laughed merrily at this,
and I soon recovered from my fright and was pleased
to think the babies were to have such pretty playthings.
After this, said Santa Claus, I can make rabbits without
having you for a pattern. But if you like, you
may stay a few days longer in my castle and
amuse yourself. I thanked him and decided to stay. So
for several days I watched him making all kinds of toys,
and I wondered to see how quickly he made them,
and how many new things he invented. I almost wish
I was a child, I said to him one day,
for then I too could have playthings. Ah, you can
run about all day in summer and in winter and
enjoy yourself in your own way, said Santa. But the
poor little children are obliged to stay in the house
in the winter and on rainy days in the summer,
and then they must have toys to amuse them and
keep them contented. I knew this was true, so I
only said admiringly. You must be the quickest and the
best workmen in all the world, Santa. I suppose I am,
he answered, But then you see I have been making
toys for hundreds of years, and I make so many
it is no wonder I am skillful. And now, if
you are ready to go home, I'll hitch up the
reindeer and take you back again. Oh no, said I.
I prefer to run by myself, for I can easily
find the way, and I want to see the country.
If that is the case, replied Santa, I must give
you a magic collar to wear so that you will
come to no harm. So, after Mother Hubbard had given
me a good meal of turnips and sliced cabbage, Santa
Claus put the magic collar around my neck and I
started for home. I took my time on the journey,
for I knew nothing could harm me, and I saw
a good many strange sights before I got back to
this place again. But what became of the magic collar,
asked Dorothy, who had listened with breathless interest to the
rabbit's story. After I got home, replied the rabbit. The
collar disappeared from around my neck, and I knew Santa
had called it back to himself again. He did not
give it to me, you, sae. He merely let me
take it on my journey to protect me. The next Christmas,
when I watched by the roadside to see Santa. I
was pleased to notice a great many of the toy
rabbits sticking out of the loaded sleigh. The babies must
have liked them too, for every year since I have
seen them amongst the toys, Santa never forgets me, and
every time he passes he calls out in his jolly voice,
A Merry Christmas to you, Bun Rabbit. The babies still
love you dearly. The rabbit paused, and Dorothy was just
about to ask another question when Bunny raised his head
and seemed to hear something coming. What is it, inquired
the girl. It's the farmer's big shepherd dog, answered the rabbit,
and I must be going before he sees me, or
I shall have to run for my life. So good bye, Dorothy.
I hope we shall meet again, and then I will
gladly tell you more of my adventures. The next instant,
he had sprung into the wood, and all that Dorothy
could see of him was a gray streak darting in
and out amongst the trees. End of Little Bun Rabbit