Mother West Wind's Animal Friends

by Thornton W. Burgess

  VI

  PETER RABBIT'S RUN FOR LIFE

  "I wish I hadn't run away," said Johnny Chuck dolefully, as he and PeterRabbit peeped out from the sweet-clover patch and watched old Mrs. Chuckstart for home with her market basket on her arm.

  "You ought to think yourself lucky that your mother didn't find you herein the sweet-clover patch. If it hadn't been for me she would have,"said Peter Rabbit.

  Johnny Chuck's face grew longer and longer. His pants were torn, his legwas stiff and sore where old Mr. Marsh Hawk had scratched him thatmorning, but worse still his conscience pricked him. Yes, Sir, JohnnyChuck's conscience was pricking him hard, very hard indeed, because hehad run away from home with Peter Rabbit after old Mrs. Chuck had toldhim not to leave the yard while she was away. Now he didn't know the wayhome.

  "Peter Rabbit, I want to go home," said Johnny Chuck suddenly. "Isn'tthere a short cut so that I can get home before my mother does?"

  "No, there isn't," said Peter Rabbit. "And if there was what good wouldit do you? Old Mrs. Chuck would see that tear in your pants and thenyou'd catch it!"

  "I don't care. Please won't you show me the way home, Peter Rabbit?"begged Johnny Chuck.

  Peter Rabbit yawned lazily as he replied: "What's the use of going now?You'll catch it anyway, so you might as well stay and have all fun youcan. Say, I know a dandy old house up on the hill. Jimmy Skunk used tolive there, but no one lives in it now. Let's go up and see it. It's adandy place."

  Now right down in his heart Johnny Chuck knew that he ought to go home,but he couldn't go unless Peter Rabbit would show him the way, and thenhe did want to see that old house. Perhaps Peter Rabbit was right (inhis heart he knew that he wasn't) and he had better have all the fun hecould. So Johnny Chuck followed Peter Rabbit up the hill to the oldhouse of Jimmy Skunk.

  Cobwebs covered the doorway. Johnny Chuck was going to brush them away,but Peter Rabbit stopped him. "Let's see if there isn't a back door,"said he. "Then we can use that, and if Bowser the Hound or FarmerBrown's boy comes along and finds this door they'll think no one everlives here any more and you'll be safer than if you were right in yourown home."

  So they hunted and hunted, and by and by Johnny Chuck found the backdoor way off at one side and cunningly hidden under a tangle of grass.Inside was a long dark hall and at the end of that a nice big room. Itwas very dirty, and Johnny Chuck, who is very neat, at once began toclean house and soon had it spick and span. Suddenly they heard a voiceoutside the front door.

  "Doesn't look as if anybody lives here, but seems as if I smell youngrabbit and--yes, I'm sure I smell young chuck, too. Guess I'll have alook inside."

  "It's old Granny Fox," whispered Peter Rabbit, trembling with fright.

  Then Peter Rabbit did a very brave thing. He remembered that JohnnyChuck could not run very fast and that if it hadn't been for him, JohnnyChuck would be safe at home. "You stay right here," whispered PeterRabbit. Then he slipped out the back door. Half-way down the hill hestopped and shouted:

  "Old Granny Fox Is slower than an ox!"

  Then he started for the old brier patch as fast as his long legs couldtake him, and after him ran Granny Fox.

  Peter Rabbit was running for his life. There was no doubt about it.Right behind him, grinding her long white teeth, her eyes snapping, ranold Granny Fox. Peter Rabbit did not like to think what would happen tohim if she should catch him.

  Peter Rabbit was used to running for his life. He had to do it at leastonce every day. But usually he was near a safe hiding place and herather enjoyed the excitement. This time, however, the only place ofsafety he could think of was the friendly old brier patch, and that wasa long way off.

  Back at the old house on the hill, where Granny Fox had discovered PeterRabbit, was little Johnny Chuck, trembling with fright. He crept to theback door of the old house to watch. He saw Granny Fox getting nearerand nearer to Peter Rabbit.

  "Oh, dear! Oh, dear! She'll catch Peter Rabbit! She'll catch PeterRabbit!" wailed Johnny Chuck, wringing his hands in despair.

  It certainly looked as if Granny Fox would. She was right at PeterRabbit's heels. Poor, happy-go-lucky, little Peter Rabbit! Two morejumps and Granny Fox would have him! Johnny Chuck shut his eyes tight,for he didn't want to see.

  But Peter Rabbit had no intention of being caught so easily. While hehad seemed to be running his very hardest, really he was not. And allthe time he was watching Granny Fox, for Peter Rabbit's big eyes are soplaced that he can see behind him without turning his head. So he knewwhen Granny Fox was near enough to catch him in one more jump. ThenPeter Rabbit dodged. Yes, Sir, Peter Rabbit dodged like a flash, andaway he went in another direction lipperty-lipperty-lip, as fast as hecould go.

  Old Granny Fox had been so sure that in another minute she would havetender young rabbit for her dinner that she had begun to smile and hermouth actually watered. She did not see where she was going. All she sawwas the white patch on the seat of Peter Rabbit's trousers bobbing upand down right in front of her nose.

  When Peter Rabbit dodged, something surprising happened. Johnny Chuck,who had opened his eyes to see if all was over, jumped up and shoutedfor joy, and did a funny little dance in the doorway of the old house onthe hill. Peter had dodged right in front of a wire fence, a fence withugly, sharp barbs, and right smack into it ran Granny Fox! It scratchedher face and tore her bright red cloak. It threw her back flat on theground, with all the wind knocked out of her body.

  When finally she had gotten her breath and scrambled to her feet, PeterRabbit was almost over to the friendly old brier patch. He stopped andsat up very straight. Then he put his hands on his hips and shouted:

  "Run, Granny, run! Here comes a man who's got a gun!"

  Granny Fox started nervously and looked this way and looked that way.There was no one in sight. Then she shook a fist at Peter Rabbit andstarted to limp off home.

  Johnny Chuck gave a great sigh of relief. "My," said he, "I wish I wasas smart as Peter Rabbit!"

  "You will be if you live long enough," said a voice right behind him. Itwas old Mr. Toad.

  Mr. Toad and Johnny Chuck sat in the doorway of the old house on thehill and watched old Granny Fox limp off home. "I wonder what it wouldseem like not to be afraid of anything in the whole world," said JohnnyChuck.

  "People who mind their own business and don't get into mischief don'tneed to be afraid of anything," said Mr. Toad.

  Johnny Chuck remembered how safe he had always felt at home with oldMrs. Chuck and how many times and how badly he had been frightened sincehe ran away that morning. "I guess perhaps you are right, Mr. Toad,"said Johnny Chuck doubtfully.

  "Of course I'm right," replied Mr. Toad. "Of course I'm right. Look atme; I attend strictly to my own affairs and no one ever bothers me."

  "That's because you are so homely that no one wants you for a dinnerwhen he can find anything else," said Peter Rabbit, who had come up fromthe friendly old brier patch.

  "Better be homely than to need eyes in the back of my head to keep myskin whole," retorted Mr. Toad. "Now I don't know what it is to beafraid."

  "Not of old Granny Fox?" asked Johnny Chuck.

  "No," said Mr. Toad.

  "Nor Bowser the Hound?"

  "No," said Mr. Toad. "He's a friend of mine." Then Mr. Toad swelledhimself up very big. "I'm not afraid of anything under the sun," boastedMr. Toad.

  Peter Rabbit looked at Johnny Chuck and slowly winked one eye. "I guessI'll go up the hill and have a look around," said Peter Rabbit, hitchingup his trousers. So Peter Rabbit went off up the hill, while Mr. Toadsmoothed down his dingy white waistcoat and told Johnny Chuck what afoolish thing fear is.

  By and by there was a queer rustling in the grass back of them. Mr. Toadhopped around awkwardly. "What was that?" he whispered.

  "Just the wind in the grass, I guess," said Johnny Chuck.

  For a while all was still and Mr. Toad settled himself comfortably andbegan to talk once more. "No, Sir," said Mr. Toad, "I'm n
ot afraid ofanything."

  Just then there was another rustle in the grass, a little nearer thanbefore. Mr. Toad certainly was nervous. He stretched up on the tips ofhis toes and looked in the direction of the sound. Then Mr. Toad turnedpale. Yes, Sir, Mr. Toad actually turned pale! His big, bulging eyeslooked as if they would pop out of his head.

  "I--I must be going," said Mr. Toad hastily. "I quite forgot animportant engagement down on the Green Meadows. If Mr. Blacksnake shouldhappen to call, don't mention that you have seen me, will you, JohnnyChuck?"

  Johnny Chuck looked over in the grass. Something long and slim and blackwas wriggling through it. When he turned about again, Mr. Toad washalf-way down the hill, going with such big hops that three times hefell flat on his face, and when he picked himself up he didn't even stopto brush off his clothes.

  "I wonder what it seems like not to be afraid of anything in the world?"said a voice right behind Johnny Chuck.

  There stood Peter Rabbit laughing so that he had to hold his sides, andin one hand was the end of an old leather strap which he had fooled Mr.Toad into thinking was Mr. Blacksnake.