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Speaker 1: Little bun Rabbit from Mother Goose in prose by L.

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Frank Baum. Oh, little bun rabbit, so soft and so shy,

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Say what do you see with your big round eye?

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On Christmas? We rabbits, says Bunny, so shy, keep watch

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to see Santa go galloping by Little Dorothy had passed

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all the few years of her life in the country,

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and being the only child upon the farm, she was

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allowed to roam about the meadows and woods as she pleased.

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On the bright summer mornings, Dorothy's mother would tie a

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sunbonnet under the girl's chin, and then she romped away

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to the fields to amuse herself in her own way.

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She came to know every flower that grew, and to

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call them by name, and she always stepped very carefully

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to avoid treading on them, for Dorothy was a kind

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hearted child and did not like to crush the pretty

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flowers that bloomed in her path. And she was also

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very fond of all the animals, and learned to know

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them well and even to understand their language, which very

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few people can do. And the animals loved Dorothy in turn,

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for the word passed around amongst them that she could

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be trusted to do them no harm. For the horse,

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whose soft nose Dorothy often gently stroked, told the cow

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of her kindness, and the cow told the dog, and

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the dog told the cat, and the cat told her

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black kitten, and the black kitten told the rabbit when

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one day they met in the turnip patch. Therefore, when

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the rabbit, which is the most timid of all animals

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and the most difficult to get acquainted with, looked out

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of a small bush at the edge of the wood

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one day and saw Dorothy standing a little way off,

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he did not scamper away, as is his custom, but

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sat very still and met the gaze of her sweet

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eyes boldly, although perhaps his heart beat a little faster

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than usual. Dorothy herself was afraid she might frighten him away,

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so she kept very quiet for a time, leaning silently

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against a tree and smiling encouragement at her timorous companion,

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until the rabbit became reassured and blinked his big eyes

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at her thoughtfully, for he was as much interested in

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the little girl as she in him, since it was

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the first time he had dared to meet a person

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face to face. Finally, Dorothy ventured to speak, so she

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asked very softly and slowly, Oh little bun rabbit, so

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soft and so shy, Say what do you see with

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your big round eye? Many things, answered the rabbit, who

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was pleased to hear the girl speak in his own language.

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In summer time, I see the clover leaves that I

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love to feed upon, and the cabbages at the end

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of the farmer's garden. I see the cool bushes where

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I can hide from my enemies. And I see the

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dogs and the men long before they can see me

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or know that I am near, and therefore I am

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able to keep out of their way. Is that the

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reason your eyes are so big, asked Dorothy. I suppose so,

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returned the rabbit. You see, we have only our eyes

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and our ears and our legs to defend ourselves with.

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We cannot fight, but we can always run away, and

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that is a much better way to save our lives

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than by fighting. Where is your home, bunny, inquired the girl.

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I live in the ground, far down, in a cool,

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pleasant hole I have dug in the midst of the forest.

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At the bottom of the hole is the nicest little

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room you can imagine, and there I have made a

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soft bed to rest in at night. When I meet

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an enemy, I run to my hole and jump in,

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and there I stay until all danger is over. You

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have told me what you see in summer, continued Dorothy,

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who was greatly interested in the rabbit's account of himself.

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But what do you see in the winter. In winter,

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we rabbits, said Bunny, so shy, keep watch to see

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Santa go galloping by. And do you ever see him,

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asked the girl eagerly. Oh, yes, yes, every winter. I

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am not afraid of him nor of his reindeer, and

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it is such fun to see him come dashing along,

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cracking his whip and calling out cheerily to his reindeer,

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who are able to run even swifter than we rabbits.

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And Santa Claus when he sees me, always gives me

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a nod and a smile, And then I look after

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him and his big load of toys, which he is

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carrying to the children, until he has galloped away out

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of sight. I like to see the toys, for they

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are so bright and pretty, and every year there is

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something new amongst them. Once I visited Santa and saw

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him make the toys. Oh tell me about it, pleaded Dorothy.

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It was one morning after Christmas, said the rabbit, who

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seemed to enjoy talking now that he had overcome his

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fear of Dorothy. And I was sitting by the roadside

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when Santa Claus came riding back in his empty sleigh.

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He does not come home quite so fast as he goes,

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and when he saw me, he stopped for a word.

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You look very pretty, morning, bun rabbit, he said, in

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his jolly way. I think the babies would love to

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have you to play with. I don't doubt it, your honor,

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I answered, But they'd soon kill me with handling, even

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if they did not scare me to death. For babies

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are very rough with their playthings, that is true, replied

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Santa Claus. And yet you are so soft and pretty.

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It is a pity the babies can't have you still,

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as they would abuse a live rabbit. I think I

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shall make them some toy rabbits which they cannot hurt.

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So if you will jump into my sleigh with me

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and ride home to my castle for a few days,

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I'll see if I can't make some toy rabbits just

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like you. Of course, I consented, for we all like

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to please Old Santa and a minute later I had

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jumped into the sleigh beside him, and we were dashing

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away at full speed toward his castle. I enjoyed the

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ride very much, but I enjoyed the castle far more,

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for it was one of the loveliest places you could imagine.

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It stood on the top of a high mountain and

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as built of gold and silver bricks, and the windows

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are pure diamond crystals. The rooms are big and high,

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and there is a soft carpet upon every floor, and

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many strange things scattered around to amuse one. Santa Claus

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lives there all alone, except for old Mother Hubbard, who

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cooks the meals for him, and her cupboard is never bare. Now,

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I can promise you. At the top of the castle

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there is one big room, and that is Santa's workshop

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where he makes the toys. On one side is his

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work bench with plenty of saws and hammers and jack knives,

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and on another side is the paint bench with paints

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of every color and brushes of every size and shape.

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And in other places are great shelves where the toys

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are put to dry and keep new and bright until

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Christmas comes and it is time to load them all

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into his sleigh. After Mother Hubbard had given me a

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good dinner and I had eaten some of the most

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delicious clover I have ever tasted, Santa took me up

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into his workroom and sat me upon the table. If

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I can only make rabbits half as nice as you are,

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he said, the little ones will be delighted. Then he

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lit a big pipe and began to smoke, and soon

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he took a roll of soft fur from a shelf

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in a corner and commenced to cut it out in

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the shape of a rabbit. He smoked and whistled all

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the time he was working, and he talked to me

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in such a jolly way that I sat perfectly still

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and allowed him to measure my ears and my legs

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so that he could cut the fur into the proper form.

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Why I've got your nose too long, bunny, he said once,

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And so he snipped a little off the fur he

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was cutting, so that the toy rabbit's nose should be

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just like mine. And again he said, good gracious, the

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ears are too short entirely, so he had to get

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a needle and thread and sew on more fur to

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the ears so that they might be the right size.

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But after a time it was all finished, and then

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he stuffed the fur full of sawdust and sewed it

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up neatly, after which he put in some glass eyes

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that made the toy rabbit look wonderfully lifelike. When it

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was all done, he put it on the table beside me,

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and at first I didn't know whether I was the

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live rabbit or the toy rabbit. We were so much alike.

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It's a very good job, said Santa, nodding his head

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at us pleasantly. And I shall have to make a

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lot of these rabbits, for the little children are sure

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to be greatly pleased with them. So he immediately began

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to make another, and this time he cut the fur

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just the right size, so that it was even better

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than the first rabbit. I must put a squeak in it,

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said Santa, So he took a box of squeaks from

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a shelf and put one into the rabbit before he

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sewed it up. When it was all finished, he pressed

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the toy rabbit with his thumb, and it squeaked so

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naturally that I jumped off the table, fearing at first

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the new rabbit was alive. Old Santa laughed merrily at this,

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and I soon recovered from my fright and was pleased

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to think the babies were to have such pretty playthings.

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After this, said Santa Claus, I can make rabbits without

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having you for a pattern. But if you like, you

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may stay a few days longer in my castle and

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amuse yourself. I thanked him and decided to stay. So

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for several days I watched him making all kinds of toys,

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and I wondered to see how quickly he made them,

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and how many new things he invented. I almost wish

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I was a child, I said to him one day,

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for then I too could have playthings. Ah, you can

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run about all day in summer and in winter and

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enjoy yourself in your own way, said Santa. But the

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poor little children are obliged to stay in the house

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in the winter and on rainy days in the summer,

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and then they must have toys to amuse them and

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keep them contented. I knew this was true, so I

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only said admiringly. You must be the quickest and the

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best workmen in all the world, Santa. I suppose I am,

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he answered, But then you see I have been making

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toys for hundreds of years, and I make so many

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it is no wonder I am skillful. And now, if

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you are ready to go home, I'll hitch up the

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reindeer and take you back again. Oh no, said I.

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I prefer to run by myself, for I can easily

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find the way, and I want to see the country.

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If that is the case, replied Santa, I must give

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you a magic collar to wear so that you will

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come to no harm. So, after Mother Hubbard had given

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me a good meal of turnips and sliced cabbage, Santa

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Claus put the magic collar around my neck and I

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started for home. I took my time on the journey,

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for I knew nothing could harm me, and I saw

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a good many strange sights before I got back to

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this place again. But what became of the magic collar,

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asked Dorothy, who had listened with breathless interest to the

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rabbit's story. After I got home, replied the rabbit. The

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collar disappeared from around my neck, and I knew Santa

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had called it back to himself again. He did not

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give it to me, you, sae. He merely let me

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take it on my journey to protect me. The next Christmas,

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when I watched by the roadside to see Santa. I

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was pleased to notice a great many of the toy

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rabbits sticking out of the loaded sleigh. The babies must

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have liked them too, for every year since I have

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seen them amongst the toys, Santa never forgets me, and

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every time he passes he calls out in his jolly voice,

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A Merry Christmas to you, Bun Rabbit. The babies still

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love you dearly. The rabbit paused, and Dorothy was just

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about to ask another question when Bunny raised his head

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and seemed to hear something coming. What is it, inquired

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the girl. It's the farmer's big shepherd dog, answered the rabbit,

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and I must be going before he sees me, or

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I shall have to run for my life. So good bye, Dorothy.

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I hope we shall meet again, and then I will

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gladly tell you more of my adventures. The next instant,

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he had sprung into the wood, and all that Dorothy

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could see of him was a gray streak darting in

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and out amongst the trees. End of Little Bun Rabbit