Atondido Stories
"O, dear! O, dear!" cried Mr. Rabbit. "What shall I do! What
shall I do! You have broken my nice new knife."
The little old man said that he was very sorry and that he did
not mean to do it.
Then Mr. Rabbit said, "A broken knife is of no use to me but
perhaps you can use it, even if it is broken. I'll tell you what I'll
do. I'll let you keep the knife if you will give me one of your bas-
kets in exchange for it."
The little old man gave Mr. Rabbit a basket and he started on
through the deep forest with it. "I lost my tail but I gained a
knife. I've lost my knife but I've gained a basket," said he. "I'll get
a new tail or something else just as good."
Mr. Rabbit hopped along through the deep forest for a long
time until at last he came to a clearing. Here there was an old
woman busily engaged in picking lettuce. When she had gath-
ered it she put it into her apron. She looked up and spied Mr.
Rabbit hopping along with his basket.
"O, please, Mr. Rabbit," said she, "will you not be so kind as
to let me borrow that nice basket you are carrying?"
Mr. Rabbit let her take the basket. She began to put her
lettuce into it when out fell the bottom of the basket.
"O, dear! O, dear!" cried Mr. Rabbit. "What shall I do! What
shall I do! You have broken the bottom out of my nice new bas-
ket."
The old woman said that she was very sorry and that she did
not mean to do it.
Then said Mr. Rabbit, "I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll let you
keep that broken basket if you will give me some of your
lettuce."
The old woman gave Mr. Rabbit some lettuce and he hopped
along with it, saying, "I lost my tail but I gained a knife. I lost my
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