The Pet Rabbit
A little girl owned a pet rabbit which she loved dearly. She carried it
on her back like a babe, made for it a little pair of moccasins, and at
night shared with it her own robe.
Now the little girl had a cousin who loved her very dearly and wished to
do her honor; so her cousin said to herself:
"I love my little cousin well and will ask her to let me carry her pet
rabbit around;" (for thus
friend; they ask permission to carry about the friend's babe).
She then went to the little girl and said:
"Cousin, let me carry your pet rabbit about on my back. Thus shall I
show you how I love you."
Her mother, too, said to her: "Oh no, do not let our little grandchild
go away from our tepee."
But the cousin answered: "Oh, do let me carry it. I do so want to show
my cousin honor." At last they let her go away with the pet rabbit on
her back.
When the little girl's cousin came home to her tepee, some rough boys
who were playing about began to make sport of her. To tease the little
girl they threw stones and sticks at the pet rabbit. At last a stick
struck the little rabbit upon the head and killed it.
When her pet was brought home dead, the little rabbit's adopted mother
wept bitterly. She cut off her hair for mourning and all her little girl
friends wailed with her. Her mother, too, mourned with them.
"Alas!" they cried, "alas, for the little rabbit. He was always kind and
gentle. Now your child is dead and you will be lonesome."
The little girl's mother called in her little friends and made a great
mourning feast for the little rabbit. As he lay in the tepee his adopted
mother's little friends brought many precious things and covered his
body. At the feast were given away robes and kettles and blankets and
knives and great wealth in honor of the little rabbit. Him they wrapped
in a robe with his little moccasins on and buried him in a high place
upon a scaffold.
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