Atondido Stories
She picked from the spruce and the fir trees close by a great
store of gum and balsam. This she formed into a figure in the
shape of a little man. She made two eyes from glass beads that
would shine like fire in the starlight, and a nose from a pine
cone, and hair from the corn tassels and yellow moss. Then she
placed the figure at the entrance to the garden where she knew
the robber would come. "Now," she thought, "I will scare away
the thief."
When night fell and the moon rose above the trees, Rabbit
came along, as was his custom, to steal his nightly meal. As he
came near the garden very softly, he saw in the moonlight what
he thought was a man standing in the path by the garden gate.
The moon hung low over the forest, and there was a thin grey
mist on the earth, for it was near to autumn and the nights were
already cool; and the figure of the little man looked larger than
human in the misty light, and it cast a long black shadow like
that of a giant on the grass.
Rabbit was much afraid and he trembled like an aspen leaf,
but he stood quiet behind a tree and watched the strange figure.
For a long time he stood still and watched and listened. But the
strange figure did not move, and not a sound did Rabbit hear
but the chirp of a cricket. Then with great caution he came clos-
er. But still the figure did not move. Then his fear left him and he
grew bolder, for he was very hungry, and he could smell the
vegetables and the wild honeysuckle in the still night air. So he
walked bravely up to the little dummy man and said, "Get out of
my way and let me pass." But the man did not move. Then Rab-
bit struck the man a sharp blow with his fist. But still the figure
did not move. Rabbit's fist stuck fast in the gum and he could not
pull it away. Then he struck out with his other fist, and it too,
like the other, was held firm. "I shall kick you," said Rabbit in a
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