The Tale of Jimmy Rabbit Read online

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  THE TALE of JIMMY RABBIT

  He trundled the wheelbarrow home again]

  THE TALEofJIMMYRABBIT

  By

  Arthur Scott Bailey

  _Author of_

  The Cuffy Bear BooksSleepy-Time Series, Etc.

  _Illustrationsby_Eleanore Fagan

  Grosset & DunlapPublishers--New York

  Copyright, 1916, byGROSSET & DUNLAP

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER PAGE I Jimmy Finds a New Tail 9 II Troublesome Mr. Mink 14 III May Baskets 19 IV Making Somebody Happy 23 V The New Wheelbarrow 28 VI A Narrow Escape 34 VII A Fast Runner 40 VIII The Great Race 46 IX Playing Leap-Frog 52 X The Tooth Puller 58 XI A Slight Dispute 63 XII The Strange Man 69 XIII Mr. Crow's Picture 74 XIV Boy Lost! 80 XV Telling Fortunes 85 XVI Red Leggins 91 XVII The Rabbits' Ball 96 XVIII A Dance Without Music 101 XIX Jimmy Grows Too Cheeky 105 XX A Queer Cure 109

  _The Tale of Jimmy Rabbit_

  1 Jimmy Finds a New Tail]

  1

  Jimmy Finds a New Tail

  Jimmy Rabbit wanted a new tail. To be sure, he already had a tail--butit was so short that he felt it was little better than none at all.Frisky Squirrel and Billy Woodchuck had fine, bushy tails; and so hadall the other forest-people, except the Rabbit family.

  Jimmy had tried his hardest to get a handsome tail for himself. And oncehe had nearly succeeded. For he almost cut off Frisky Squirrel's bigbrush. But Mrs. Squirrel had appeared just in time to save her son fromso dreadful a mishap.

  After that, Jimmy Rabbit tried to _buy_ a tail; but no one would sellhim one. Then he set out to _find_ one, in the hope that some day someone would forget his tail and go off and leave it lying in the woods,and not be able to remember where he left it.

  In fact, Jimmy Rabbit often lurked behind trees and bushes, watching hisneighbors as they took naps in the sunshine. But when they awaked andstretched themselves, and went trotting off, there was not one of themthat didn't take his tail right along with him.

  It was disappointing. Still, Jimmy Rabbit continued his search.

  Now, Jimmy had decided that if he could only get a long tail he didn'tcare what color it was, if it was only a brownish yellow, to match therest of him. And at last, as he was wandering through the woods one day,to his great joy he found almost exactly what he wanted. Lying near aheap of chips was a beautiful tail! But it was red, with a black tip.That was the only drawback about it.

  This tail, however, was so handsome that Jimmy made up his mind that hewould wear it, anyhow, even though it did not match his coat. So with abit of string which he had carried with him for weeks for that verypurpose, he tied the red tail to his own short stub.

  There was great excitement among the forest-people when Jimmy Rabbitappeared among them. Most everyone told him how much better he looked.In fact, old Mr. Crow was about the only person who didn't say somethingpleasant. He only shook his head, and muttered something to himselfabout "handsome is as handsome does." But Jimmy Rabbit paid littleattention to him.

  "Whose tail is that?" Mr. Crow finally asked.

  "Mine, of course!" Jimmy told him.

  "Well, you'd better look out!" said Mr. Crow. "Unless that tail isbought and paid for, there's trouble ahead of you, young man."

  To his friends Frisky Squirrel and Billy Woodchuck, Jimmy said somethingabout Mr. Crow in a low voice. And they laughed loudly. Whereupon Mr.Crow flew away, croaking to himself about the shocking way children arebrought up nowadays. You know, Mr. Crow was a great gossip. Andeverywhere he went that day he spread the news about Jimmy Rabbit'sfinding a red tail in the woods.

  Probably that was the pleasantest day of Jimmy Rabbit's life. Buttoward evening something startled him. He had been over to the brook, tolook at himself in a pool. And he was coming back towards home when someone called:

  "Hi, there, young fellow!"

  Jimmy Rabbit hurried along faster. He knew that it was a mink's voice.And he didn't like minks.

  Mr. Mink ran after him, calling "Stop, thief!" at the top of his voice.

  Jimmy Rabbit did not stop. But he glanced around. And his heart sank ashe saw that Mr. Mink had no tail! At the same time Jimmy ran faster thanever. He did not want even to speak to Mr. Mink, for he felt that bywaiting to talk with him he had nothing at all to gain, and a great dealto lose.

  There was his new tail! He certainly did not want to part with that!

  2 Troublesome Mr. Mink]

  2

  Troublesome Mr. Mink

  Jimmy Rabbit arrived home somewhat out of breath. But he was stillhappy, for he thought that he had shaken off that troublesome Mr. Mink.And he had no idea that Mr. Mink knew where he lived.

  Now, it happened that old Mr. Crow's story about Jimmy's new tail hadreached Mr. Mink's ears. And as soon as he heard it he had inquiredwhere Jimmy Rabbit lived.

  Mr. Crow had told him. And he took another look at Mr. Mink.

  "I notice you've lost your tail," he said.

  "Yes!" Mr. Mink answered. "Farmer Green threw an axe at me once. And itcut off my tail, as you see. I left that neighborhood then; and nevercared to return to it. But if this young Rabbit boy has found my tail, Ishall certainly claim it at once." So off he went. And Mr. Crow noddedhis head wisely. It was just as he had said! There was trouble ahead forJimmy Rabbit--or, you might say, there was trouble _behind_ for him; forit was that handsome red tail, you remember, that was the cause of itall.

  Well, Jimmy Rabbit was trying to decide what he would do that evening,when all at once somebody else decided it for him. For all at once aslim, red gentleman rushed at Jimmy, crying, "Give me my tail! I want mytail!"

  It was Mr. Mink! And Jimmy Rabbit ran off as fast as he could go.

  "This is my tail!" he called over his shoulder. "I found it. And I'mnot going to give it up to anybody."

  But Mr. Mink hurried after Jimmy. To be sure, Jimmy left him far behind.But Mr. Mink kept following. It was very annoying, for Jimmy knew thatsooner or later that troublesome gentleman would be on his heels again.

  There was no use of Jimmy's crawling into any hole, for he was fourtimes as big as Mr. Mink; and, of course, anywhere he went, Mr. Minkcould easily follow.

  Jimmy Rabbit didn't know what to do. Mr. Mink had terribly sharp teeth.And he was very angry. But Jimmy was not angry at all. _He_ didn't wantto fight.

  While he was trying to think of some way out of his trouble, somethingsuddenly pulled him backward. Looking around, he saw Mr. Mink with hiscruel teeth fastened in that beautiful red tail.

  "Let go of me!" Jimmy Rabbit cried.

  But Mr. Mink didn't say a word. In order to speak, he would have had todrop that precious tail. And he had no idea of doing that. Besides,there was nothing he wanted to say. There was no use of his calling,"Stop, thief!" when he had already stopped him, you know.

  Jimmy Rabbit pulled with all his might. And Mr. Mink dug his four feetinto the ground and pulled with all of _his_.

  And then, the first thing Jimmy knew, he fell forward, head over heels.He was up in a jiffy, and off like a flash, running like the wind.

  But this time Mr. Mink did not follow.

  When at last Jimmy sat down to rest he discovered why it was that Mr.Mink had stopped chasing him. His beautiful, new, red tail was gone! Thebit of string had broken under all that pulling. And now Jimmy Rabbithad no tail except his own.

  "Where's your fine, bushy tail?" Mr. Crow asked Jimmy the next morning.

&n
bsp; "Oh! I discovered who the owner of it was," Jimmy said. "He came for hisproperty; and I let him have it."

  But Mr. Crow was a wise old chap.

  "Did you give him the string, too?" he inquired.

  3 May Baskets]

  3

  May Baskets

  Jimmy Rabbit was very busy. He was getting ready for May Day. And heintended to hang two May baskets. One of them was already finished, andfilled with things that Jimmy himself liked--such as strips of tenderbark from Farmer Green's young fruit trees, and bits of turnip from hisvegetable cellar. You might almost think that Farmer Green himself oughtto have hung that basket. But Jimmy Rabbit never once thought of such athing. He expected to hang it on the door of a neighbor's house, wherethere lived a young girl-rabbit. Jimmy had made that basket the best heknew how.

  The one he was working on now was a very different sort of basket. Butthen--you see, he intended to give it to a very different sort ofperson. He was going to hang _this_ one on Henry Skunk's door.

  Frisky Squirrel, who happened to be passing Jimmy's house, stopped andwatched him. And he was surprised to learn that Jimmy was going to givea May basket to Henry Skunk.

  "What are you going to put in it?" Frisky asked.

  "Hens' eggs!" said Jimmy Rabbit.

  That surprised Frisky Squirrel still more. If it had been a joke--atrick of some sort--that Jimmy was going to play on Henry Skunk, hecould have understood that. But hens' eggs! Why, everyone knew how fondof hens' eggs Henry Skunk was!

  "I thought you didn't like Henry Skunk," Frisky said.

  "Well, can't I hang a May basket on his door just the same?" askedJimmy.

  Frisky Squirrel said he supposed so--but it was a strange thing to do.

  "Look out he doesn't catch you when you're doing it!" he warned Jimmy.Henry Skunk was a quarrelsome fellow. There was no knowing what hewouldn't do if he caught anyone tying anything to his doorknob. "By theway," Frisky added, "where did you get the hens' eggs?"

  "Down at Farmer Green's!" Jimmy said.

  "I suppose there are lots more," said Frisky.

  Jimmy Rabbit smiled.

  "Not like these!" he said.

  "I suppose you had to be careful not to break them--bringing them sofar," Frisky Squirrel remarked.

  "Oh, it's easy when you know how," Jimmy Rabbit told him.

  "Well, Henry Skunk will break them fast enough, when he finds them,"Frisky said.

  "Yes, he'll break them!" Jimmy Rabbit laughed. "That's just the point!_He'll break them!_" You notice that Jimmy didn't say what it was thatHenry Skunk would break.

  4 Making Somebody Happy]

  4

  Making Somebody Happy

  Well, that very evening Jimmy Rabbit made a certain young neighbor veryhappy by hanging a May basket on her door. And then he hurried along toHenry Skunk's house. He hoped Henry was still there; for when HenrySkunk went out of an evening he seldom came home until morning.

  Jimmy hung the basket of eggs on the doorknob, rang the bell, and thenran and hid behind a tree. He peeped out, as he heard the door open; andhe saw Henry Skunk look all around. He seemed angry, until he caughtsight of the basket. And then Henry Skunk certainly was pleased.

  "Ah, ha!" he exclaimed. "A May basket! Now, I wonder what friend of minehas left this for me!" He looked inside the basket. "Ah, ha! Hens'eggs!" he cried. "I'll sit down on my front steps and eat them. Then Iwon't have to give anybody else a taste."

  That was like Henry Skunk. He was a selfish fellow--always greedy, neveroffering to share a dainty with anyone.

  Jimmy Rabbit was holding his mouth. He knew that if he laughed he wouldspoil everything. As he listened, he heard a _snap_! And Henry Skunksaid "Oh!" as if something hurt him, and surprised him, both. "Ideclare, I've broken a tooth!" he exclaimed. "That's the hardest egg Iever saw. I'll try another." And he took another egg out of the basket.

  There was another _snap_! This time Henry cried "Ow!" It was queer, tobreak two teeth like that. And he reached into the basket for the thirdegg. "It certainly can't happen again," Henry told himself. And he bitthe third egg with all his might.

  How it hurt him! He fairly howled with pain.

  And then Jimmy Rabbit snickered. He could hold in his laughter nolonger.

  That was enough for Henry Skunk. He looked around quickly. And what hesaw made him very angry. For he knew then that those eggs were nothingbut a joke.

  Now, when he tittered, Jimmy Rabbit had jumped back behind the treeround which he had been peeping. He thought that he was safely out ofsight. But he had forgotten all about his ears. They were so long, andthey stuck out so far, that Henry Skunk could see them. And he knewright away who had played that trick on him.

  He did not think it was any joke, to break three teeth. And he began tocreep toward those ears. But there was one thing that Henry Skunk hadnot noticed. He had not looked up in the branches above Jimmy Rabbit'shead. If he had, he would have seen Frisky Squirrel, who had come alongto see the fun.

  As soon as Frisky saw what was happening, he cried:

  "Look out, Jimmy!"

  And Jimmy Rabbit looked out just in time. The smile faded from his face.And he turned and ran.

  Henry Skunk did not chase him. He was no runner. But he hoped that someday he could catch _both_ those meddlesome youngsters.

  Jimmy Rabbit delivers his May basket]

  "Well, what did I tell you?" Jimmy Rabbit said, when Frisky joined himat a good, safe distance from Henry Skunk's house. "Didn't I say there'dbe some fun?"

  "But I don't understand what happened," Frisky said. "I thought HenrySkunk _liked_ hens' eggs."

  "So he does!" Jimmy Rabbit answered. "But those were not real hens'eggs. They were china eggs which I found in Farmer Green's henhouse. Andthey were almost as hard as stones."

  Frisky Squirrel laughed.

  "I wish we had some more," he said. "Then we could hang a May basket onFatty Coon's door.... I don't suppose you'd care to go back to Henry'shouse and get those eggs?"

  "I don't suppose I would," said Jimmy Rabbit.

  5 The New Wheelbarrow]

  5

  The New Wheelbarrow

  There was something that Jimmy Rabbit wanted. He had teased for it for along time. And at last, after he had almost made up his mind that hewasn't going to get it, one day to his great joy his father brought homethe very thing Jimmy had begged for. It was a wheelbarrow! Jimmy Rabbitcould hardly believe his eyes.

  "Well, young man, you ought to be pretty grateful for this," Mr. Rabbitsaid.

  "Yes, Father!" Jimmy answered. He picked up the handles of thewheelbarrow, and began pushing it proudly about the dooryard. "I'mgoing to play with my wheelbarrow all the time after this," Jimmy said.

  "I reckon you can do a little work with it, too," Mr. Rabbit told him."I shall expect you to bring home the vegetables for the whole family,every morning."

  "Yes, Father!" Jimmy answered. He thought that would be great sport. Hedidn't stop to think that it would take a good many vegetables to feedhis father and his mother, his four sisters, his two brothers, andhimself.

  "I hope, now, to have a little time for recreation," Mr. Rabbitremarked.

  "It's too bad you have to work so hard," said Jimmy. "Recreation" was abig word. Jimmy supposed that it was some kind of specially hard work.He did not know that it meant _play_. "I'll go down to Farmer Green'sgarden right away and get a load of his best vegetables!" Jimmyexclaimed.

  Down in Farmer Green's garden Jimmy worked busily, loading his newwheelbarrow to the very top. And then he trundled it home again. Noprouder youngster was ever seen in Pleasant Valley than Jimmy Rabbit,pushing that little wheelbarrow up the hill.

  "Let me push it!" Frisky Squirrel begged.

  But Jimmy Rabbit said that he mustn't let anybody else play with thatwheelbarrow.

  "Let me take hold of one handle!" Billy Woodchuck pleaded.

  But Jimmy Rabbit told him that _that_ was no way to wheel a wheelbarrow.

  So
mehow, the next day Jimmy didn't have half so much fun getting thevegetables. And the day after that he actually began to think thatgathering vegetables was a good deal like work. And before a week hadpassed he just hated the sight of Farmer Green's garden.

  But all Jimmy's friends still crowded around and begged him to let thempush the wheelbarrow. And all the while he had been very firm. He hadnot given one of them leave to touch the barrow.

  At last Jimmy Rabbit had an idea.

  "I'll tell you what I'll do," he said to Frisky Squirrel. "If youweren't my best friend I'd never think of such a thing. And you mustn'texpect I'm going to let you do this often----"

  "Do what?" Frisky asked.

  "Why, wheel my wheelbarrow!" said Jimmy.

  Frisky Squirrel jumped high up in the air, he was so pleased.

  "Hurrah!" he cried. "May I push it now, before you fill it withvegetables?"

  "Well--no! It's getting late," said Jimmy. "My mother will be expectingme soon. I'll let you wheel the vegetables home for me. But first, youmust gather them."

  Frisky Squirrel was more than willing. And he filled the barrow withcabbages and turnips, lettuce and peas, while Jimmy Rabbit looked on andordered him about.

  "There!" said Jimmy, when the wheelbarrow was full. "Now we'll go home."And then, to Frisky Squirrel's surprise, Jimmy climbed on top of theload and sat himself down.

  "What's that for?" asked Frisky.