Page:The art of story-telling, with nearly half a hundred stories, y Julia Darrow Cowles .. (IA artofstorytellin00cowl).pdf/256

 Suddenly Molly doubled on her tracks, for her pursuer was close at hand. Jerusalem Artie attempted to do the same, but his free foot became entangled with the elongated leg, and down went Jerusalem Artie—squarely on top of Molly Cottontail.

It pretty well knocked the breath out of both of them, but Jerusalem Artie recovered first, naturally, for he was on top.

"Chris'mus pie! Chris'mus pie!" he squealed, as he wriggled one hand cautiously beneath him and got a good firm hold of Molly's long ears. Then carefully he got upon his feet.

The rabbit hung limp from his hand.

"Knocked yo' breaf' clean out fo' suah!" he exclaimed, deliberately surveying his prize.

Then slowly he made his way to the road, for the chase had taken him some distance from the cabin, and the dragging trouser leg made walking difficult.

Reaching the roadside, he held aloft the still limp rabbit surveying it with a grin of satisfaction.

"Reckon she's done fo' as suah as I's a niggah chile," he soliloquized; and laying his Christmas dinner on the grass beside him, he