Paradise

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 197, 17 May 1941, Page 16

Paradise

(Original by Flotsam (15), Pahiatua) tIERE 1 am, as happy as can be, on a farm infested by rabbits—but it was not always so. Let me tell you how I became a rabbit dog. Just in case you haven't guessed. I am Rusty, a curly-haired retriever. One day I was lying in my mistress's sittingroom gazing out of the window (a tempting thing to do when one isn’t allowed out) Just as I was in 'he depths of self-pity I saw my two pals going rabbiting. This was too much. With one bound through the window I tore across the garden and scampered up the road, pulling up beside Jin with a dust-flying wallop, “Hallo! What's the hurry?” demanded Jip with an insulting waggle of bis ears. “Can’t a fellow have a run?” I said loftily, “without being questioned why?” “Oh! yes, but 1 thought (here he edged away), your missus might try to stop you. You know, Toby, she won’t let him go out since last time in case horrid dogs like us attack poor Rusty again!” Toby gave a contemptuous bitch of his ears. “Oh!” I said hastily. “Do you think there will be many rabbits?” “I think so,” said Toby, thoughtfully watching tlie butcher’s boy as he came over the hill on his bike., "Ah!” he said, looking at me out of the corners of his eyes, "he’s got a juicy bite aboard. I bet you couldn’t get it!” I replied that I would not try, “Of course not,” agreed Bl> "vol! might lose a hair.” “All right.” I said, furiously, “just watch.” I dashed out. upsetting the bike and hurting my leg, but I got some meat and took It back to where Jip and Toby were waiting. “I could have done that without

hurting a hair,” remarked Jip. after we had finished the meat. “I’m.going home,” I said in disgust, "yon chaps give me a pain.” . I arrived home in time to hear the butcher talking to my mistress about broken legs, buckled wheels, and enraged customers. My mistress was horrified and after a lot of ringing up and talking 1 was given to the farmer who owns the farm I'm on now and who was warned of my savage nature.

1 only wish Jip and Toby could see me now!