VII
WHY JERRY MUSKRAT BUILDS HIS HOUSE IN THE WATER
Peter Rabbit and Johnny Chuck had gone down to the Smiling Pool for acall on their old friend, Jerry Muskrat. But Jerry was nowhere to beseen. They waited and waited, but no Jerry Muskrat.
"Probably he is taking a nap in that big house of his," said JohnnyChuck, "and if he is we'll have to sit here until he wakes up, or elsego back home and visit him some other time."
"That's so," replied Peter. "I don't see what he has his house in thewater for, anyway. If he had built it on land, like sensible people,we might be able to waken him. Funny place to build a house, isn'tit?"
Johnny Chuck scratched his head thoughtfully. "It does seem a funnyplace," he admitted. "It certainly does seem a funny place. But then,Jerry Muskrat is a funny fellow. You know how much of the time hestays in the water. That seems funny to me. I suppose there is areason for it, and probably there is a reason for building his housewhere it is. I've found that there is a reason for most things.Probably Jerry's great-great-grandfather built his house that way, andso Jerry does the same thing."
Peter Rabbit suddenly brightened up. "I do believe you are right,Johnny Chuck, and if you are, there must be a story about it, and ifthere is a story, Grandfather Frog will be sure to know it. There heis, over on his big green lily-pad, and he looks as if he might befeeling very good-natured this morning. Let's go ask him why JerryMuskrat builds his house in the water."
Grandfather Frog saw them coming, and he guessed right away that theywere coming for a story. He grinned to himself and pretended to go tosleep.
"Good morning, Grandfather Frog," said Johnny Chuck. Grandfather Frogdidn't answer. Johnny tried again, and still no reply.
"He's asleep," said Johnny, looking dreadfully disappointed, "and Iguess we'd better not disturb him, for he might wake up cross, and ofcourse we wouldn't get a story if he did."
Peter looked at Grandfather Frog sharply. He wasn't so sure that thatwas a real nap. It seemed to him that there was just the least littlehint of a smile in the corners of Grandfather Frog's big mouth. "Yousit here a minute," he whispered in Johnny Chuck's ear.
So Johnny Chuck sat down where he was, which was right whereGrandfather Frog could see him by lifting one eyelid just the teeniestbit, and Peter hopped along the bank until he was right behindGrandfather Frog. Now just at that place on the bank was growing atoadstool. Peter looked over at Johnny Chuck and winked. Then heturned around, and with one of his long hind-feet, he kicked thetoadstool with all his might. Now toadstools, as you all know, are notvery well fastened at the roots, and this one was no different fromthe rest. When Peter kicked it it flew out into the air and landedwith a great splash in the Smiling Pool, close beside the big greenlily-pad on which Grandfather Frog was sitting. Of course he didn'tsee it coming, and of course it gave him a great start.
"Chug-a-rum!" exclaimed Grandfather Frog and dived head first into thewater. A minute later Peter's sharp eyes saw him peeping out fromunder a lily-pad to see what had frightened him so.
"Ha, ha, ha!" shouted Peter, dancing about on the bank. "Ha, ha, ha!Grandfather Frog, afraid of a toadstool! Ha, ha, ha!"
At first Grandfather Frog was angry, very angry indeed. But he is tooold and too wise to lose his temper for long over a joke, especiallywhen he has been fairly caught trying to play a joke himself. Sopresently he climbed back on to his big green lily-pad, blinking hisgreat, goggly eyes and looking just a wee bit foolish.
"Chug-a-rum! I might have known that that was some of your work,Peter Rabbit," said he, "but I thought it surely was a stone thrownby Farmer Brown's boy. What do you mean by frightening an old fellowlike me this way?"
"Just trying to get even with you for trying to fool us into thinkingthat you were asleep when you were wide awake," replied Peter. "Oh,Grandfather Frog, do tell us why it is that Jerry Muskrat builds hishouse in the water. Please do!"
"I have a mind not to, just to get even with you," said GrandfatherFrog, settling himself comfortably, "but I believe I will, to show youthat there are some folks who can take a joke without losing theirtemper."
"Goody!" cried Peter and Johnny Chuck together, sitting down side byside on the very edge of the bank.
Grandfather Frog folded his hands across his white and yellowwaistcoat and half closed his eyes, as if looking way, way back intothe past.
"Chug-a-rum!" he began. "A long, long time ago, when the world wasyoung, there was very little dry land, and most of the animals livedin the water. Yes, Sir, most of the animals lived in the water, assensible animals do to-day."
Peter nudged Johnny Chuck. "He means himself and his family," hewhispered with a chuckle.
"After a time," continued Grandfather Frog, "there began to be moreland and still more. Then some of the animals began to spend most oftheir time on the land. As there got to be more and more land, moreand more of the animals left the water, until finally most of themwere spending nearly all of the time on land. Now Old Mother Naturehad been keeping a sharp watch, as she always does, and when she foundthat they were foolish enough to like the land best, she did all thatshe could to make things comfortable for them. She taught them how torun and jump and climb and dig, according to which things they likedbest to do, so that it wasn't very long before a lot of them forgotthat they ever had lived in the water, and they began to look down onthose who still lived in the water, and to put on airs and hold theirheads very high.
"Now, of course, Old Mother Nature didn't like this, and to punishthem she said that they should no longer be able to live in the water,even if they wanted to. At first they only laughed, but after a whilethey found that quite often there were times when it would be verynice to be at home in the water as they once had been. But it was ofno use. Some could swim as long as they could keep their heads abovewater, but as soon as they put their heads under water they werelikely to drown. You know that is the way with you to-day, PeterRabbit."
Peter nodded. He knew that he could swim if he had to, but only for avery little way, and he hated the thought of it.
"Now there were a few animals, of whom old Mr. Muskrat, thegrandfather a thousand times removed of Jerry Muskrat, was one, wholearned to walk and run on dry land, but who still loved the water,"continued Grandfather Frog. "One day Old Mother Nature found Mr.Muskrat sitting on a rock, looking very mournful.
"'What's the matter, Mr. Muskrat?' she asked.
"Mr. Muskrat looked very much ashamed as he finally owned up that hewas envious of his cousins and some of the other animals, because theyhad such fine houses on the land.
"'Then why don't you build you a fine house on the land?' asked OldMother Nature.
"Mr. Muskrat hesitated. 'I--I--love the water too well to want to stayon land all the time,' said he, 'and--and--well, I was put in thewater in the first place, and I ought to be contented with what I havegot and make the best of it.'
"Old Mother Nature was so pleased with Mr. Muskrat's reply that rightaway she made up her mind that he should have a finer house than anyof the others, so she took him over to a quiet little pool, where thewater was not too deep and she showed him how to build a wonderfulhouse of mud and rushes and twigs, with a nice warm bedroom linedwith grass above the water, and an entrance down under the water, sothat no one except those who still lived most of the time in the watercould possibly get into it. None of his friends on land had such abig, fine house, and Mr. Muskrat was very proud of it. But with allhis pride he never forgot that it was a reward for trying to becontent with his surroundings and making the best of them.
"So from that day to this, the Muskrats have built their houses in thewater, and have been among the most industrious, contented, and happyof all the animals. And that is why Jerry Muskrat has built that finehouse in the Smiling Pool and has so few enemies," concludedGrandfather Frog.
Peter Rabbit drew a long breath, which was almost a sigh. "I almostwish my grandfather a thousand times removed had been content to stayin the water, too," he said.
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"Chug-a-rum!" retorted Grandfather Frog. "If he had, you wouldn't havethe dear Old Briar-patch. Be content with what you've got,"
"I think I will," said Peter.
Mother West Wind 'Why' Stories Page 7
