IV
PETER RABBIT'S EGG ROLLING
It was spring. Drummer the Woodpecker was beating the long roll on thehollow limb of the old hickory, that all the world might know. OldMother West Wind, hurrying down from the Purple Hills across the GreenMeadows, stopped long enough to kiss the smiling little bluets thatcrowded along the Lone Little Path. All up and down the Laughing Brookwere shy violets turning joyful faces up to jolly, round, red Mr. Sun.Johnny Chuck was sitting on his doorstep, stretching one short leg andthen another, to get the kinks out, after his long, long winter sleep.Very beautiful, very beautiful indeed, were the Green Meadows, and veryhappy were all the little meadow people--all but Peter Rabbit, who satat the top of the Crooked Little Path that winds down the hill. No, Sir,Peter Rabbit, happy-go-lucky Peter, who usually carries the lightestheart on the Green Meadows, was not happy. Indeed, he was very unhappy.As he sat there at the top of the Crooked Little Path and looked down onthe Green Meadows, he saw nothing beautiful at all because, why, becausehis big soft eyes were full of tears. Splash! A big tear fell at hisfeet in the Crooked Little Path. Splash! That was another tear. Splash!splash!
"My gracious! My gracious! What _is_ the matter, Peter Rabbit?" asked agruff voice close to one of Peter's long ears.
Peter jumped. Then he winked the tears back and looked around. Theresat old Mr. Toad. He looked very solemn, very solemn indeed. He waswearing a shabby old suit, the very one he had slept in all winter.Peter forgot his troubles long enough to wonder if old Mr. Toad wouldswallow his old clothes when he got a new suit.
"What's the matter, Peter Rabbit, what's the matter?" repeated old Mr.Toad.
Peter looked a little foolish. He hesitated, coughed, looked this wayand looked that way, hitched his trousers up, and then, why then hefound his tongue and told old Mr. Toad all his troubles.
"You see," said Peter Rabbit, "it's almost Easter and I haven't found asingle egg."
"An egg!" exclaimed old Mr. Toad. "Bless my stars! What do you want ofan egg, Peter Rabbit? You don't eat eggs."
"I don't want just one egg, oh, no, no indeed! I want a lot of eggs,"said Peter. "You see, Mr. Toad, I was going to have an Easter eggrolling, and here it is almost Easter and not an egg to be found!"Peter's eyes filled with tears again.
Old Mr. Toad rolled one eye up at jolly, round, red Mr. Sun and winked."Have you seen Mrs. Grouse and Mrs. Pheasant?" asked old Mr. Toad.
"Yes," said Peter Rabbit, "and they won't have any eggs until afterEaster."
"Have you been to see Mrs. Quack?" asked old Mr. Toad.
"Yes," said Peter Rabbit, "and she says she can't spare a single one."
Old Mr. Toad looked very thoughtful. He scratched the tip of his nosewith his left hind foot. Then he winked once more at jolly, round, redMr. Sun. "Have you been to see Jimmy Skunk?" he inquired.
Peter Rabbit's big eyes opened very wide. "Jimmy Skunk!" he exclaimed."Jimmy Skunk! What does Jimmy Skunk have to do with eggs?"
Old Mr. Toad chuckled deep down in his throat. He chuckled and chuckleduntil he shook all over.
"Jimmy Skunk knows more about eggs than all the other little meadowpeople put together," said old Mr. Toad. "You take my advice, PeterRabbit, and ask Jimmy Skunk to help you get the eggs for your Easter eggrolling."
Then old Mr. Toad picked up his cane and started down the Crooked LittlePath to the Green Meadows. There he found the Merry Little Breezesstealing kisses from the bashful little wind flowers. Old Mr. Toadpuffed out his throat and pretended that he disapproved, disapprovedvery much indeed, but at the same time he rolled one eye up at jolly,round, red Mr. Sun and winked.
"Haven't you anything better to do than make bashful little flowers hangtheir heads?" asked old Mr. Toad gruffly.
The Merry Little Breezes stopped their dancing and gathered about oldMr. Toad. "What's the matter with you this morning, Mr. Toad?" asked oneof them. "Do you want us to go find a breakfast for you?"
"No," replied old Mr. Toad sourly. "I am quite able to get breakfast formyself. But Peter Rabbit is up on the hill crying because he cannot findany eggs."
"Crying because he cannot find any eggs! Now what does Peter Rabbitwant of eggs?" cried the Merry Little Breezes all together.
"Supposing you go ask him," replied old Mr. Toad tartly, once morepicking up his cane and starting for the Smiling Pool to call on hiscousin, Grandfather Frog.
The Merry Little Breezes stared after him for a few minutes, then theystarted in a mad race up the Crooked Little Path to find Peter Rabbit.He wasn't at the top of the Crooked Little Path. They looked everywhere,but not so much as the tip of one of his long ears could they see.Finally they met him just coming away from Jimmy Skunk's house. Peterwas hopping, skipping, jumping up in the air and kicking his long heelsas only Peter can. There was no trace of tears in his big, soft eyes.Plainly Peter Rabbit was in good spirits, in the very best of spirits.When he saw the Merry Little Breezes he jumped twice as high as he hadjumped before, then sat up very straight.
"Hello!" said Peter Rabbit.
"Hello yourself," replied the Merry Little Breezes. "Tell us what underthe sun you want of eggs, Peter Rabbit, and we'll try to find some foryou."
Peter's eyes sparkled. "I'm going to have an Easter egg rolling," saidhe, "but you needn't look for any eggs, for I am going to have all Iwant; Jimmy Skunk has promised to get them for me."
"What is an Easter egg rolling?" asked the Merry Little Breezes.
Peter looked very mysterious. "Wait and see," he replied. Then a suddenthought popped into his head. "Will you do something for me?" he asked.
Of course the Merry Little Breezes were delighted to do anything theycould for Peter Rabbit, and told him so. So in a few minutes Peter hadthem scattering in every direction with invitations to all the littlepeople of the Green Meadows and all the little folks of the Green Forestto attend his egg rolling on Easter morning.
Very, very early on Easter morning Old Mother West Wind hurried downfrom the Purple Hills and swept all the rain clouds out of the sky.Jolly, round, red Mr. Sun climbed up in the sky, smiling his broadest.All the little song birds sang their sweetest, and some who reallycannot sing at all tried to just because they were so happy. Across thebeautiful Green Meadows came all the little meadow people and forestfolks to the smooth, grassy bank where the big hickory grows. PeterRabbit was there waiting for them. He had brushed his clothes until youwould hardly have known him. He felt very much excited and veryimportant and very, very happy, for this was to be the very first eggrolling the Green Meadows had ever known, and it was all his very own.
Hidden behind the old hickory, tucked under pieces of bark, scatteredamong the bluets and wind flowers were big eggs, little eggs andmiddle-sized eggs, for Jimmy Skunk had been true to his promise. Wherethey came from Jimmy wouldn't tell. Perhaps if old Gray Goose and Mrs.Quack could have been there, they would have understood why it took solong to fill their nests. Perhaps if Farmer Brown's boy had happenedalong, he would have guessed why he had to hunt so long in the barn andunder the henhouse to get enough eggs for breakfast. But Jimmy Skunkheld his tongue and just smiled to see how happy Peter Rabbit was.
First came Peter's cousin, Jumper the Hare. Then up from the SmilingPool came Jerry Muskrat, Little Joe Otter, Billy Mink, Grandfather Frogand Spotty the Turtle. Johnny Chuck, Danny Meadow Mouse, and old Mr.Toad came together. Of course Reddy Fox was on hand promptly. StripedChipmunk came dancing out from the home no one has been able to find.Out from the Green Forest trotted Bobby Coon, Happy Jack Squirrel andChatterer the Red Squirrel. Behind them shuffled Prickly Porky. Last ofall came Jimmy Skunk, who never hurries, and Jimmy wore his very bestsuit of black and white. Up in the old hickory sat Blacky the Crow,Sammy Jay and Drummer the Woodpecker, to watch the fun.
When all had arrived, Peter Rabbit started them to hunting for the eggs.Everybody got in the way of everybody else. Even old Mr. Toad caught theexcitement and hopped this way and hopped that way hunting for eggs.Danny Meadow Mouse found a goose egg b
igger than himself and had to gethelp to bring it in. Bobby Coon stubbed his toes and fell down with anegg under each arm. Such a looking sight as he was! He had to go down tothe Smiling Pool to wash.
By and by, when all the eggs had been found, Peter Rabbit sent a biggoose egg rolling down the grassy bank and then raced after it to bringit back and roll it down again. In a few minutes the green grassy bankwas covered with eggs--big eggs, little eggs, all kinds of eggs. Somewere nearly round and rolled swiftly to the bottom. Some were sharppointed at one end and rolled crookedly and sometimes turned end overend. A big egg knocked Johnny Chuck's legs from under him and, becauseJohnny Chuck is round and roly-poly, he just rolled over and over afterthe egg clear to the bottom of the green grassy bank. And it was suchfun that he scrambled up and did it all over again.
Then Bobby Coon tried it. Pretty soon every one was trying it, evenReddy Fox, who seldom forgets his dignity. For once Blacky the Crow andSammy Jay almost wished that they hadn't got wings, so that they mightjoin in the fun.
But the greatest fun of all was when Prickly Porky decided that he, too,would join in the rolling. He tucked his head down in his vest and madehimself into a perfectly round ball. Now when he did this, all hishidden spears stood out straight, until he looked like a great, giant,chestnut burr, and every one hurried to get out of his way. Over andover, faster and faster, he rolled down the green, grassy bank until helanded--where do you think? Why right in the midst of a lot of eggsthat had been left when the other little people had scampered out of hisway.
Now, having his head tucked into his vest, Prickly Porky couldn't seewhere he was going, so when he reached the bottom and hopped to his feethe didn't know what to make of the shout that went up from all thelittle meadow people. So foolish Prickly Porky lost his temper becausehe was being laughed at, and started off up the Lone Little Path to hishome in the Green Forest. And what do you think? Why, stuck fast in arow on the spears on his back, Prickly Porky carried off six of PeterRabbit's Easter eggs, and didn't know it.
Mother West Wind's Animal Friends Page 4
