STORIES.
Boy and girl with rabbits
EDWIN, THE YOUNG RABBIT FANCIER.
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Edwinwas a very tender-hearted boy, and very eager about a thing when he took it into his head; but his enthusiasm very often left him just at the time it ought to have remainedwith him. Thus he never pursued any study or amusement for any length of time with profit to himself, and often fell into very grievous errors.
“Oh! dear mama,” said he one day to his mother. “I do so much wish that I had something for a pet; there is Charles Jones has a sweet little bird, and cousin James has a squirrel. I should so like something for a pet. Do, mama, buy me something—a Guinea pig, or a couple of pigeons, or a rabbit. Oh! I saw such a beautiful white rabbit yesterday.
“Ay, my dear,” said his mama, “I am afraid you would soon grow tired of your rabbit, as you did of your gun, and bow and arrow, and ship, and rocking-horse.”
“Oh! but a rabbit is quite different, mama; you can love a rabbit, you know, and coax it, and feed it, and make it happy. I should go out early in the morning, and pick some nice clover for it, and some thistle, and dandelion, and marsh mallows. I know how to feed rabbits—I have learned all about it. I must not give them too much green stuff, but some nice bran and oats; and then I could make a little trough for it to eat from, you know; and—and—”
“I am sure, my dear, it would be too much trouble to you; rabbits require a great deal of care and attention, and you so soon get tired of any thing you take up, that I fear it would soon suffer from neglect.”
“I am sure I should neverneglectit, mama; and if you will give me a shilling, I can buy a beauty—a real white French rabbit, with red eyes, and a coat like swansdown. Do, mama, give me a shilling.”
“No, my dear,” said she, “I really must refuse you.”
Now, although Edwin was a little boy, he said to himself, “I know it is only because mama wished to save her money; ’tis not because she really thinks I shall neglect the rabbit, but because she does not like to part with her money.” He thought himself very cunning? did he not?
So Edwin began to pout and whine, and to tease his mama, being determinedto let her have no peace. “You know, mama,” said he, “I shall be so fond of it; I will make it a house, and then I could cut down some grass, and dry it, and make hay for it to lie upon; and I could sow some oats for it in my garden; I should not want any thing else to amuse me all the year round.”
Whether to humor Edwin or to teach him a lesson, I will not say, but his mama gave him a shilling, and off he ran, and purchased the milk-white, red-eyed rabbit he had so longed for.
Joyful enough was he when he brought it home; he paraded it round the house, showed it to every member of the family, housemaid, laundrymaid, footman, and cook, and every body praised the rabbit,as the most beautiful creature they had ever seen.
The next morning Edwin rose by times, and began to look for wood to build his rabbit house. He procured saw, nails, and hammer; and at last found some old planks, and began to saw them, and cut them, and chisel and plane, till his little arms ached again.
He had soon cut two or three pieces of board up, but to no purpose; one was too short, another too long, a third had a knot in it, and a fourth was spoiled in splitting. Vexed with his want of success, Edwin said, “I shall not make him a house to-night—he must be contented with being fastened in the coal-hole to-night, where he will have room plenty.”
So bunny was put into the coal-hole, with a handful of cabbage-leaves, and told to make himself happy till morning, and as it happened to be election night, Edward went to amuse himself by making bonfires.
In the morning Edwin went to the coal-hole to look after bunny. There it was sure enough, but, instead of its being a beautiful white rabbit—by hopping about among the coals—it had become almost as black as the coals themselves.
“Well, I never!” said the little boy—“what a dirty little thing it is”, and so he tried to catch it; but bunny not liking to be caught, led the youngster a fine dance in the coal-hole, and at lasthe fell over a large lump of coal, and dirtied his clean frill and white pinafore.
It was difficult to say which was the dirtiest of the two, Edwin or the rabbit. The little boy, however, being quite out of patience, made no further effort, but shut the coal-hole door, and in great terror ran to the nursery-maid to put him into cleaner trim. He did not go again into the place where the rabbit was that day, and so the poor thing was kept without food, for Edward totally forgot that he had not fed his pet.
However, the next day he again repaired to the place, and having caught bunny, took it into the stable-yard, and put it into an unoccupied pig-sty. The first intention of making a house wasquite given up, and Edwin began to think his rabbit was a great plague; he, however, gave it some more cabbage leaves, and left it.
Edwin with black rabbit
The fact was, Edwin was getting tired of his rabbit; he, however, bought it a few oats, and gave it a little hay. He went out for a few mornings and gathereda little clover, but in less than a week this was thought to be a great deal of trouble; besides which, the rabbit seemed lame, and did not look so pretty as it did at first.
At last Edwin quite forgot his rabbit for two days, and when he went to look at it he was quite surprised to find it lying on its side. He called, bunny, bunny. The poor thing looked at him, and seemed pleased to see him, for its long ears moved as if it was.
Edwin took it up; it seemed to have lost the use of its hind legs; it squeaked when it was touched; and so the little boy laid it down again. He felt it all over—it was very thin, and seemed half starved.
Edwin now ran and got a saucer full of oats, and placed it beside the poor thing; he also ran to the next field, and plucked some nice sow thistle, and gave it to eat. Bunny looked grateful, and tried to eat, but could not.
Edwin, in placing his hand down by its side, felt the beatings of its heart; it went beat, beat, beat—throb, throb, throb, quicker than a watch; and every now and then its head twitched, and the skin of its jaw drew up, as if it were in great pain.
And yet the poor animal seemed glad to have some one by its side, and rubbed its nose against Edwin’s hand; and then it panted again, and its eyes grew dim; it was dying; Edwin now began to cry.
“Oh! my poor dear, dear, dear, bunny,” said he, “what shall I do to make you well?—oh! what would I give? Oh! I have killed you, for I know I have. Oh! my poor, dear bunny—let me kiss you, dear bunny”—Here the little fellow stooped down to kiss the rabbit. Just at that moment it gave a struggle—in the next it was dead.
Edwin’s eyes were full of tears, and when he could see through them, and found out what had happened, he broke out into loud sobs and cries, till he roused the whole house. “Oh! my dear rabbit—oh! I have killed my rabbit—oh! what shall I do?” he uttered, in deepest grief.
“Ay,” said his mama, who was calledto the spot by his outcries, “I feared it would be thus:—who would think a house-bred rabbit could live in a damp pig-sty? The poor thing has been destroyed by neglect.”
“Oh, yes, dear mama, do not scold me; I know I have been very naughty. Oh, I do love my dear rabbit; I love it more now it is dead than I did when it was alive; but is it really dead, mama! no, is it? it is quite warm, and may get well again,—say it will, there’s a dear, dear mother,” and then he cried again.
The rabbit was, however, dead; and had caught its death in the way Edwin’s mama supposed, by being ill fed and kept in a damp place, by thoughtless, if not cruel,neglect.
Edwin was overcome with grief,—but it was now too late, sad was that night to him, for something told him that he had been cruel to that he had promised to love. He got no sleep; and early in the morning he arose, and went to the place where his pet was laid.
He wept all the next day; and, in the evening, he dug a grave in his own little garden, close by the side of a young rose tree. Then he wrapped the body in some nice hay, and laid it in its narrow cell, and placed rose leaves upon it, and covered it gently with the earth; and his heart was like to burst when he heaped the mound upon it,—and he was forced to pause in his task by the full gushing of his tears.
“My child,” said his mama, who watched him at his sorrowful task, “if you had taken half the trouble for bunny, when alive, as you do now he is dead, he would have been alive now.”
“Yes, yes, dear mama,—I know—I know; but do tell me, pray do—will not rabbits go to heaven? Is there not some place where they can be happy? I hope my poor bunny may!” and here the little fellow sobbed again.
“Give me a kiss, my dear boy,” said his mama; come leave this spot: and so she gently led him away from the rabbit’s grave.