Native American Legends
How Master Rabbit gave himself Airs
A Micmac Legend
It happened once that Lox was living in great luxury. He had a
wigwam full of hundreds of dried sea, ducks, moose meat, maple-sugar,
and corn. He gave a dinner, and among the guests invited Marten
and Mahtigwess, the Rabbit.
Now it is a great weakness of Master Rabbit that he is much given
to hinting at one minute, and saying pretty plainly the next, that
he has been in better society than that around him, and has lived
among great people, and no one was quicker than the Marten to find
out that wherein any one was foolish or feeble. So when Master Rabbit,
smoothing down his white fur, said it was the only kind of a coat
worn by the aristocracy, Marten humbly inquired, "if that were so,
how he came by it."
"It shows," replied Master Rabbit, "that I have habitually kept
company with gentlemen."
"How did you get that slit in your lip?" inquired Marten, who knew
very well what this Indian really was.
"Ah!" replied the Rabbit, "where I live they use knives
and forks. And one day,--while eating with some great sagamores,
my knife slipped, and I cut my lip."
"And why are your mouth and whiskers always going when you are
still? Is that high style?"
"Yes; I am meditating, planning, combining great affairs; talking
to myself, you see. That's the way we do."
"But why do you always hop? Why don't you sometimes walk, like
other people?"
"Ah, that's our style. We gentlemen don't run, like the
vulgar. We have a gait of our own, don't you know?"
"Indeed! Well, if you don't mind a question, I would like to know
why you always scamper away so suddenly, and jump so far and so
rapidly when you run."
"Aw! don't you know? I used to be employed in very genteel business;
public service,--in fact, diplomatic. I carried dispatches (weegadigunn,
Micmac; wighiggin, Pass.)--books, letters, papers, and so
I got in the way of moving nimbly. Now it comes naturally to me.
One of my old aristocratic habits."
Upon this Marten gave it up. He had seen something of good society
himself, as he lived habitually with Glooskap, but Master Rabbit
was too much for him.
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