"Jimmy Skunk! What does Jimmy Skunk have to do with eggs?"
Old Mr. Toad chuckled deep down in his throat. He chuckled and chuckled until he shook all over.
"Jimmy Skunk knows more about eggs than all the other little meadow people put together," said old Mr. Toad. "You take my advice, Peter Rabbit, and ask Jimmy Skunk to help you get the eggs for your Easter egg rolling."
Then old Mr. Toad picked up his cane and started down the Crooked Little Path to the Green Meadows. There he found the Merry Little Breezes stealing kisses from the bashful little wind flowers. Old Mr. Toad puffed out his throat and pretended that he disapproved, disapproved very 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 hang their heads?" asked old Mr. Toad gruffly.
The Merry Little Breezes stopped their dancing and gathered about old Mr. Toad. "What"s the matter with you this morning, Mr. Toad?" asked one of 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 for myself. But Peter Rabbit is up on the hill crying because he cannot find any eggs."
"Crying because he cannot find any eggs! Now what does Peter Rabbit want of eggs?" cried the Merry Little Breezes all together.
"Supposing you go ask him," replied old Mr. Toad tartly, once more picking up his cane and starting for the Smiling Pool to call on his cousin, Grandfather Frog.
The Merry Little Breezes stared after him for a few minutes, then they started 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. Peter was hopping, skipping, jumping up in the air and kicking his long heels as 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 had jumped before, then sat up very straight.
"h.e.l.lo!" said Peter Rabbit.
"h.e.l.lo yourself," replied the Merry Little Breezes. "Tell us what under the sun you want of eggs, Peter Rabbit, and we"ll try to find some for you."
Peter"s eyes sparkled. "I"m going to have an Easter egg rolling," said he, "but you needn"t look for any eggs, for I am going to have all I want; 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 sudden thought popped into his head. "Will you do something for me?" he asked.
Of course the Merry Little Breezes were delighted to do anything they could for Peter Rabbit, and told him so. So in a few minutes Peter had them scattering in every direction with invitations to all the little people of the Green Meadows and all the little folks of the Green Forest to attend his egg rolling on Easter morning.
Very, very early on Easter morning Old Mother West Wind hurried down from 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 really cannot sing at all tried to just because they were so happy. Across the beautiful Green Meadows came all the little meadow people and forest folks to the smooth, gra.s.sy bank where the big hickory grows. Peter Rabbit was there waiting for them. He had brushed his clothes until you would hardly have known him. He felt very much excited and very important and very, very happy, for this was to be the very first egg rolling the Green Meadows had ever known, and it was all his very own.
Hidden behind the old hickory, tucked under pieces of bark, scattered among the bluets and wind flowers were big eggs, little eggs and middle-sized eggs, for Jimmy Skunk had been true to his promise. Where they 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 so long to fill their nests. Perhaps if Farmer Brown"s boy had happened along, he would have guessed why he had to hunt so long in the barn and under the henhouse to get enough eggs for breakfast. But Jimmy Skunk held his tongue and just smiled to see how happy Peter Rabbit was.
First came Peter"s cousin, Jumper the Hare. Then up from the Smiling Pool came Jerry Muskrat, Little Joe Otter, Billy Mink, Grandfather Frog and Spotty the Turtle. Johnny Chuck, Danny Meadow Mouse, and old Mr.
Toad came together. Of course Reddy Fox was on hand promptly. Striped Chipmunk came dancing out from the home no one has been able to find.
Out from the Green Forest trotted Bobby c.o.o.n, Happy Jack Squirrel and Chatterer the Red Squirrel. Behind them shuffled p.r.i.c.kly Porky. Last of all came Jimmy Skunk, who never hurries, and Jimmy wore his very best suit of black and white. Up in the old hickory sat Blacky the Crow, Sammy Jay and Drummer the Woodp.e.c.k.e.r, 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 the excitement and hopped this way and hopped that way hunting for eggs.
Danny Meadow Mouse found a goose egg bigger than himself and had to get help to bring it in. Bobby c.o.o.n stubbed his toes and fell down with an egg under each arm. Such a looking sight as he was! He had to go down to the Smiling Pool to wash.
By and by, when all the eggs had been found, Peter Rabbit sent a big goose egg rolling down the gra.s.sy bank and then raced after it to bring it back and roll it down again. In a few minutes the green gra.s.sy bank was covered with eggs--big eggs, little eggs, all kinds of eggs. Some were nearly round and rolled swiftly to the bottom. Some were sharp pointed at one end and rolled crookedly and sometimes turned end over end. A big egg knocked Johnny Chuck"s legs from under him and, because Johnny Chuck is round and roly-poly, he just rolled over and over after the egg clear to the bottom of the green gra.s.sy bank. And it was such fun that he scrambled up and did it all over again.
Then Bobby c.o.o.n tried it. Pretty soon every one was trying it, even Reddy Fox, who seldom forgets his dignity. For once Blacky the Crow and Sammy Jay almost wished that they hadn"t got wings, so that they might join in the fun.
But the greatest fun of all was when p.r.i.c.kly Porky decided that he, too, would join in the rolling. He tucked his head down in his vest and made himself into a perfectly round ball. Now when he did this, all his hidden spears stood out straight, until he looked like a great, giant, chestnut burr, and every one hurried to get out of his way. Over and over, faster and faster, he rolled down the green, gra.s.sy bank until he landed--where do you think? Why right in the midst of a lot of eggs that had been left when the other little people had scampered out of his way.
Now, having his head tucked into his vest, p.r.i.c.kly Porky couldn"t see where he was going, so when he reached the bottom and hopped to his feet he didn"t know what to make of the shout that went up from all the little meadow people. So foolish p.r.i.c.kly Porky lost his temper because he was being laughed at, and started off up the Lone Little Path to his home in the Green Forest. And what do you think? Why, stuck fast in a row on the spears on his back, p.r.i.c.kly Porky carried off six of Peter Rabbit"s Easter eggs, and didn"t know it.
V
HOW JOHNNY CHUCK RAN AWAY
Johnny Chuck stood on the doorstep of his house and watched old Mrs.
Chuck start down the Lone Little Path across the Green Meadows towards Farmer Brown"s garden. She had her market basket on her arm, and Johnny knew that when she returned it would be full of the things he liked best. But not even the thought of these could chase away the frown that darkened Johnny Chuck"s face. He had never been to Farmer Brown"s garden and he had begged very hard to go that morning with old Mrs. Chuck. But she had said "No. It isn"t safe for such a little chap as you." And when Mrs. Chuck said "No," Johnny knew that she meant it, and that it was of no use at all to beg.
So he stood with his hands in his pockets and scowled and scowled as he thought of old Mrs. Chuck"s very last words: "Now, Johnny, don"t you dare put a foot outside of the yard until I get back."
Pretty soon along came Peter Rabbit. Peter was trying to jump over his own shadow. When he saw Johnny Chuck he stopped abruptly. Then he looked up at the blue sky and winked at jolly, round, red Mr. Sun. "Looks mighty showery "round here," he remarked to no one in particular.
Johnny Chuck smiled in spite of himself. Then he told Peter Rabbit how he had got to stay at home and mind the house and couldn"t put his foot outside the yard. Now Peter hasn"t had the best bringing up in the world, for his mother has such a big family that she is kept busy just getting them something to eat. So Peter has been allowed to bring himself up and do just about as he pleases.
"How long will your mother be gone?" asked Peter.
"Most all the morning," said Johnny Chuck mournfully.
Peter hopped a couple of steps nearer. "Say, Johnny," he whispered, "how is she going to know whether you stay in the yard all the time or not, so long as you are here when she gets home? I know where there"s the dandiest sweet-clover patch. We can go over there and back easy before old Mrs. Chuck gets home, and she won"t know anything about it. Come on!"
Johnny Chuck"s mouth watered at the thought of the sweet-clover, but still he hesitated, for Johnny Chuck had been taught to mind.
""Fraid cat! "Fraid cat! Tied to your mother"s ap.r.o.n strings!" jeered Peter Rabbit.
"I ain"t either!" cried Johnny Chuck. And then, just to prove it, he thrust his hands into his pockets and swaggered out into the Lone Little Path.
"Where"s your old clover patch?" asked he.
"I"ll show you," said Peter Rabbit, and off he started, lipperty-lipperty-lip, so fast that Johnny Chuck lost his breath trying to make his short legs keep up. And all the time Johnny"s conscience was p.r.i.c.king him.
Peter Rabbit left the Lone Little Path across the Green Meadows for some secret little paths of his own. His long legs took him over the ground very fast. Johnny Chuck, running behind him, grew tired and hot, for Johnny"s legs are short and he is fat and roly-poly. At times all he could see was the white patch on the seat of Peter Rabbit"s pants. He began to wish that he had minded old Mrs. Chuck and stayed at home. It was too late to go back now, for he didn"t know the way.
"Wait up, Peter Rabbit!" he called.
Peter Rabbit just flirted his tail and ran faster.
"Please, please wait for me, Peter Rabbit," panted Johnny Chuck, and began to cry. Yes, Sir, he began to cry. You see he was so hot and tired, and then he was so afraid that he would lose sight of Peter Rabbit. If he did he would surely be lost, and then what should he do?
The very thought made him run just a little faster.