Show r W A 1 A V e I 1 it was tho the night before new years the air wai clear and frosty and the moon and stars were vere nh th lai liing down on the sparkling snow that covered tho the prairie like the cloth on a round dining table toward midnight it if you had peeped from one of the windows OL 01 mr nir blains farm house you would have seen what would have appeared to have been a shadow coming up the road toward the house As it came nearer you would have seen that it was a little animal about tho the size of a lamb with great long ears and a bob tall and so white that at a little distance you could rot tell it from the enow snow but nobody saw the shadow tor for everyone in the bouse house was asleep ex bonnet so that ou on can p ply y with tho other children eyes opened wide with wonder tor for there vere ere over a dozen other little babies in the room which was a great large one now jack said grandma jack rabbit whose whoso face was wrinkled up with laughing nil all the time you play with the children while I 1 get tho the sup aupper baby turned to see tho the rabbit but he was gone gono and in bis his place stood a little fat men with a jolly laug laughing bIng red face and a snow white beard whay Is ne jackrabbit dat bot me here asked the baby I 1 am he anwer answered ed the little man we jack rabbits just turn ourselves k away he scampered dawn the road with baby holding on by hie his ears capt tho the baby who was lying wide awake in her little cot at the foot of mothers bed just as the clock waa was striking midnight there came a genuo tap at tho the door baby heard beard it but no one else did and she climbed out of her cot and ran to the door 1 I commin bunnie she called out as she reached up to the handle and let the little andrial in now oo 00 wait a minnit till baby bets on her mr jack rabbit then she ran to the drawer and pulled out her little coat and bonnet and mitts and her little foot muffs baby had never dressed herself before but at midnight between the old and the new now year babies can do many wonderful things which they cannot do at any other time but ou never see them doing these things as they will not do them while anybody lu in the house Is awake it only took baby a few minutes to got on all her clowes cl otnes then she opened the door and shu sha the jackrabbit went out into the moonlight night As soon as they were outside the rabbit got down on hs knees and baby climbed on his back and away he scampered down the read mad with baby bolding on by hit cars soon they were ere tar far away from homo home so tar far that they could only see the chimney at last they came to a hole leading down under the ground down this the jackrabbit popped and stopped rp vp before a lit tie round door he ile tapped at the door and waited until it was opened by a tat fat little woman in a big white apron and ft a white dusting cap into little animals like rabbits when wo we go out but when wo we are at home wo we are little men and women grandma jack rabbit went over to the stove at the othe end of the kitchen where she had a big pot of taffy boiling some corn popping a big pan of chestnuts roasting in the oven oyen and some other things cooking for the chil childrens dreas supper and grandpa began to play with the children oh what tun fun they had hadl they played drop the handkerchief nuts in may here comes a king arriving green gravel blind mans duff buff I 1 and every game they knew then grandpa got down on his hands bands and knees and took them for a ride on his back all around the room and over to where grandma was pulling the golden taffy that had been boiling on tha stove heres a i leco of taffy for each one of ny babies laughed grandma now gallop av anay or grandpa like the old black rom ram that went to london town but dont let the little dears tall fall off like para and mamma did while I 1 sot act the table grandpa acutt scuttled led off fast as be he could 50 0 on his hands and knees to the other end of the room singing papa mamma marnma and uncle john went to london on a black ram papa fell 0 dear 0 dcarl dearl mamma fill ott off 0 dear 0 dear dearl I 1 and uncle john went ent galloping on galloping on to t 0 london town then the children all scrambled off mr jack back and cried now grandpa you play ri vi some music and well mell danco till grandma gets supper ready IN W k dood b by gran pa 11 aid said baby ha hal laughed the litus woman a as she sho took the baby oft off the bits back aad nearly smothered her with kisses hero Is another little guest at grandma jack rabbits Rabbit 3 new years party now jaci jac abut the door or you will freeze the little dears now baby let lot me take off your coat and so grandpa took the funniest look ing black stick out of his pocket and put tt it up to his moth month but you ought to te have heard beard the beautiful music that camo came out of 0 that stick it was magic and any one could danco to it even it if they had never danced before nor even seen any one dancing suddenly tho the music stopped and grandpa said coine now children and havo have some supper super grandmas waiting for us then mr and mrs jackrabbit lifted each ono of 0 them into a high chair and tied a be big bib around his or her neck so tint thit tho the children would not spill anything on their clothes othea cl and what a feast they had thero there were baked apples ginger bread doughnuts cookler coo klei kleg and jam and afterwards they had nuts raisins taffy and popcorn now grandpa said cue one of 0 the children nith hh a bis big piece of taffy in in hia his mouth please tell us where you got this now baby tonight to night well said grandpa last week I 1 was passing mr mains blains house and ane I 1 baby was out playing in tho the garden 1 I 1 hid behind tho the snow man nian she was I 1 building so that noboa but rhe could seo see me while I 1 told lier her about the party which we have havu hero bore every new years and I 1 asked her it eh would tild like to come when she said she yet id I 1 told her not to toll tell any one but to be awake at midnight on new now years night and I 1 would come for her then Es said baby binan it waa was a long time till new now years too I 1 tot fot it ud never turn tum but it eld id tuna turn and im bavin having a gate time tan I 1 tome hero here again 0 yeal said GiAnd grandma ma we will have another party dext yoal and I 1 hope you will all bo be hero here yest cried all tho the children at once well wo 11 all como come it if me can well now said mrs jackrabbit Jack rabbit come and have a game with grandma and then it mill bo be time to go home least let play tag and well all try to catch grandma said one of the children and they all rushed toward her but grandma was too quick tor for them and had darted across the room be ajro re any one could catch her off they ran after her grandpa and all but grandma and bobbed around liko like a cork in a pall of water till she v i all out of breath and then baby blain the littlest one of nil all was able to catch her hol ho ho youre caught at laet last la mr jackrabbit Jach rabbit well its time that our litlie 1 ones were going home for it will on be daylight the children were all sorry that the party waa wait oer oi er but grandma and grandov Grand pi put on their coats and hoods and muffled theia up warm then mrs biro jackrabbit kissed them and wished them all a happi bapp new year and told alu m to be sure to come again agala the he next I 1 no now w Y years e ar a 1 ue e whoa whon grandpa jackrabbit called for them but where was grandpa he lie had disappeared while his vi was kiss ing the children and in his place stood the funny little animal with the long ears which had brought tho the children there and chich is 1 called a bit grandma lilted the children on his back all together and opened the door and away the rabbit scampered up the hole and over the enow snow when ho he came to the nearest house he let one of the children off and then turned down the road letting a child off at nearly every house he camo came to baby blains house waa was the farthest off of all and before they reached it baby could see that it waa was beginning to get ali lt awny in tho the east where the sun rises the jackrabbit saw ahn light too and now flow along faster than ever till tho the wind whistled past ears for if he did cot not got home before daylight some ono might see jackrabbit and him for their dinner but it was not long before they came to tho the blain house goodbr Doo dbr dby grandpa said baby as s aho he slid down off tho rabbits back and sank sauk oo 00 vezy much and the raja rabbit I 1 waa was off like a ahot hot baby opened the door and then shut and locked it after her and sho she was s boon oon all undressed undree eed and in her little bed when father and mother got up thero there waa was the baby fast last as asleep leel just as she was when they went to bed tho the night before and ani they wondered what made her sleep so late for she was always first awake iii iia tho morning they never found out however about tho the jackrabbits party for baby had promised not to tell toll baby went again net net year and every year until she was five years old but after that she could not go any more tor for the jackrabbits never had bad any children over five years old at their parties sho she ie Is a big girl now and her father and mother dont call her baby any more but marguerite but she will always rem aber the tun fun she ho had bad at the Jack rabbi a party montreal herald |