The Tar Baby

Once upon a time there was a water famine, and the runs went dry, and there wasn‘t any water to be found anywhere, so all the animals in the forest met together to see what could be done about it. The lion and the bear, and the wolf and the fox, and the giraffe and the monkey and elephant, and even the rabbit — everybody who lived in the forest, was there, and they all tried to think of some plan by which they could get water. At last they decided to dig a well, and everybody said he would help — all expect the rabbit, who always was a lazy little rascal, and he said he wouldn‘t dig.

So the animals all said, "Very well, Mr. Rabbit, if you won‘t help dig this well, you shan‘t have one drop of water to drink."

But the rabbit just laughed and said, as smart as you please, "Never mind, you dig the well and I’ll get a drink all right." Now the animals all worked very hard, all except the rabbit, and soon they had the well so deep that they struck water and they all got a drink and went away to their homes in the forest. But the very next morning what should they find but the rabbit‘s footprints in the mud at the mouth of the well, and they knew he had come in the night and stolen some water. So they all began to think how they could keep that lazy little rabbit from getting a drink, and they all talked and talked and talked, and after a while they decided that someone must watch the well, but no one seemed to want to stay up to do it.

Finally, the bear said, "I’ll watch the well the first night. You just go to bed, and I’ll show old Mr. Rabbit that he won‘t get any water while I’m around."