(1) And this is a different one that this one and I are telling, the girl sitting here and I. (2) Once the alligator saw this jackrabbit sitting on the other side on the bare ground, there was no grass for him to eat, he was hungry. (3) Then this one told him, "Why don't you go to the other side here? You see they have plenty to eat," he said. (4) "But you know I can't swim," said the jackrabbit. (5) "Oh, climb on my back, let me take you," he said. (6) "Oh, you mean you want to eat me, that's all that is," he said. (7) "Oh, but I don't want to eat you, you poor thin thing." (8) "It doesn't matter if I am thin, just the same in the middle you’ll want to eat me," he said. (9) "Oh, I couldn't do that," he said. (10) "Oh, all right." (11) So he took him to the other side, swimming with him. (12) He stopped close to a willow, a young willow, at maybe three feet or so, so that he couldn't reach to jump across to the ground. (13) There he asked the horse who came. (14) Then he asked the horse, "I see you have plenty to eat here," he said to the horse. (15) "Yes, there's plenty to eat. (16) Long ago when I was young, I used to be fed, I used to have a bed prepared for me, I used to have a blanket put on me at night, I used to be given water, I used to be brushed, I always stayed indoors. The next day I used to be fed again. (17) Now that I've grown old, there's nothing. At night I don't sleep, I'm standing all night long, when it's raining like this there's nowhere, how can you lie down, it's not dry. You have to stand around, just because I'm so old. (18) When I was young they used to shoe me when I needed it, they used to look at the shoes. (19) Now that I'm old I am left outside. (20) Good-bye," he said, (21) and went. (22) Then this bull came. He did the same thing, he asked him again. "You have plenty of food here," he said. (23) "Yes," said [the bull]. (24) He asked him the same thing again. (25) "Yes, when I was young I used to be fed. Now that I'm old they don't want to see me," he said. (26) "I'm standing up all night long, there's nowhere that I can lie down," he said again. (27) Then along came that fox; he was trying to get this jackrabbit to jump. (28) The jackrabbit was afraid to jump, he could not jump onto the ground that way. (29) Then the bull said, "That's all; goodbye," (30) and left. (31) Then the jackrabbit looked and looked, and finally jumped. (32) That's all; he jumped into that willow. (33) He just barely made it. He went; he crossed over. (34) The alligator really wanted to eat him, but he

12. Talking Ghosts (Pages 182)
[view image]