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to try to make a hutcli out of an old tea
chest that his father had given him.
He was so busy with his work, and
the knocking in of the nails made such
a noise, that he did not hear his father
ring at the gate, so that his father had
come in and had been some time look
ing on at the work, before Charles per
ceived him.
“Mylittle carpenter, ” said his fa
ther, “ what are you doing?”
“ Oh, papa!” said Charles, “I am so
glad you have come home, because I
want you to help me.”
“ What are you making?” asked his
father.
“ A hutch for the rabbits that George
has promised to give me,” replied
Charles.
“ Rabbits !” said his father. “ Are
you to have rabbits ? George is very
kind to you. But where shall you keep
them?”
“ In the yard, and in this hutch that
lam making. I have promised mamma
to do my best to prevent their going in
to the garden,” replied Charles.
“■ I hope you will succeed,” said his
father. “ But now lend me the ham
mer for a short time, and I will pull
out these long nails for you.”
With his father’s assistance Charles
soon finished the hutch. He counted
every day as it went. Thirteen days
had passed away. One more day only,
and then he would have his rabbits in
the comfortable hutch which he had
made for them.
Two days after this, as Charles was
sitting in the garden reading, he heard
the parlor window open, and he saw
his mother standing at it beckoning to
him. He put down his book without
delay, and ran to see what his mother
wanted him for.
“ Come in to me, and you shall see,”
said she, smiling. So Charles scraped
his shoes and ran into the house. A
large parcel, covered with his mother’s
apron, stood on the table.
“ What can be there !” cried Charles.
“ Oh ! may I look ?”
“ Listen,” said his mother ; “ do
you hear any noise ?”
“Yes; I hear something moving;
pray let me look,” said Charles.
His mother gave him leave, and he
mounted on the stool, pulled away the
apron, and saw two beautiful rabbits,
one white spotted with brown ears, and
the other white, with black spots.
“Are these rabbits mine? Has
George sent them to me ?” cried Charles.
“Yes,” said his mother. “Your
kind friend has sent them to you. Put
them into the hutch, and be careful to
shut the garden gate.”
Charles gently stroked the ears of
the rabbits, called his little brother, and
then carried them to the hutch. To
gether the boys fed them with a cabbage
leaf and some bran, and then put some
clean straw into the hutch for their bed.
After all this was done, Charles was
very particular to shut the garden gate.
BURKE’S WEEKLY FOR BOYS AND GIRLS.
He fed his rabbits twice a day ; once
before his breakfast, once before his
supper ; and they grew very fat, and
knew Charles so well that they would
eat out of his hand.
For a long time, Charles ahvays re
membered to shut the garden gate, and
he taught his little brother to be careful
to shut it also.
In one part of the garden Mrs. Good
win had some nice brocoli growing, and
some of it was ready to be cut for eating.
So one morning, Mrs. Goodwin took a
knife and went to cut some of the broc
coli for dinner. Alas ! when she came
to the broccoli bed, what was her sur
prise and vexation to find nearly all
the broccoli eaten or destroyed. She
looked about to see wdiat could have
caused this destruction, and peeping
out from under one of the plants of
broccoli a rabbit with light brown eais !
and then another rabbit, black and
white, scampered across the gravel path
as fast as she could go.
They were Charles’ two rabbits !
Mrs. Goodwin looked towards the
garden gate. It was wide open. Charles
that morning had forgotten to shut it.
Mrs. Goodwin was much grieved when
she saw this. She was sorry to lose
her broccoli, but still more sorry to find
that her boy, of whom she was so fond,
had failed in keeping his resolution.
Reluctant , however, as she was to give
him pain, she felt that she must, for his
own good, send away the rabbit3 for a
time.
“Charles! come here,” she cried.
Charles was playing at skittles with his
little brother, but he left off at once
when he heard his mother calling him,
and he ran to her.
“ Yes, dear mother, I am coming.
What do you want me for ?” said he.
“ Come and see,” said his mother,
“ what your carelessness has occasion
ed. Your rabbits have destroyed this
broccoli. lam sorry for you, my dear,
but your rabbits must be sent away.”
And she pointed to the garden gate.
“ Dear mother,” said Charles, “I am
very sorry. I will be more careful an
other time.”
“ No, my dear,’’answered his moth
er, “you know I told you that if I
found the rabbits in the garden, I must
send them back to George. So catch
them and take them to Mr. Smith’s
house.”
George was quite astonished when he
saw Charles bringing back the rabbits.
“ Are you tired of them already?”
said he.
“ Oh, no,” said Charles ; “ but I
have been careless and foolish, and
neglected to shut the garden gate, though
I promised to try always to remember
to shut it, and mamma has told me to
bring the rabbits back again. Here
they are.”
The loss of his rabbits was a lesson
to Charles to be more careful, and he
tried to become so more and more every
da} r .
His father and mother, when they
saw him growing so careful, called him
to them, and told him, that as he had
tried to cure himself of his fault, and
was altogether such a good child, they
would trust him once more, and let him
have his rabbits again.
“ May 1 go and fetch them now ?”
said he, eagerly.
“ Yes,” said his father; “put on
your hat, apd. giye . this note to IVJy.
Smith. . r». .. ...i >
“ Where is my hat ?” cried Charles.
“ Oh! I am in such His hat
was soon found, and off he scampered
to Mr. Smith’s house. He rang the
bell, and George opened the gate. “I
have come for my rabbits again,” cried
Charles,quite out of breath with the haste
he had made. “ Give this note to your
father, and give me the rabbits in my
pinafore.”
George ran to his father with the note.
When Mr. Smith read it, he wished
Charles joy on having his rabbits again.
He shook hands with him, and praised
him for curing himself of his faults.
George went back with Charles, and
helped him to carry the rabbits, and to
put them into their little hutch and then
stayed the rest of the day with Charles
playing at all kinds of games very mer
rily.
Charles did not again forget to shut
the gate of the garden, and his mother
didjiot again find the rabbits there.
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