XIII
WHY BUSTER BEAR APPEARS TO HAVE NO TAIL
Peter Rabbit had something new to bother his bump of curiosity. And itdid bother it a lot. He had just seen Buster Bear for the first time,and what do you think had impressed him most? Well, it wasn't Buster'sgreat size, or wonderful strength, or big claws, or deep,grumbly-rumbly voice. No, Sir, it wasn't one of these. It was the factthat Buster Bear seemed to have no tail! Peter couldn't get over that.He almost pitied Buster Bear. You see, Peter has a great admirationfor fine tails. He has always been rather ashamed of the funny littleone he has himself. Still, it is a real tail, and he has oftencomforted himself with that thought.
So the first thing Peter did when he saw Buster Bear was to look tosee what kind of a tail he had. Just imagine how surprised he was whenhe couldn't make sure that Buster had any tail at all. There wassomething that might, just might, be meant for a tail, and Peterwasn't even sure of that. If it was, it was so ridiculously small thatPeter felt that he had no reason to be ashamed of his own tail.
He was still thinking about this when he started for home. Half waythere, he paused, saw that the way to the Smiling Pool was clear, andsuddenly made up his mind to ask Grandfather Frog about Buster Bear'stail. Off he started, lipperty-lipperty-lip.
"Oh, Grandfather Frog," he panted, as soon as he reached the edge ofthe Smiling Pool, "has Buster Bear got a tail?"
Grandfather Frog regarded Peter in silence for a minute or two.
Then very slowly he asked: "What are your eyes for, Peter Rabbit?Couldn't you see whether or not he has a tail?"
"No, Grandfather Frog. I really couldn't tell whether he has a tail ornot," replied Peter quite truthfully. "At first I thought he hadn't,and then I thought he might have. If he has, it doesn't seem to methat it is enough to call a really truly tail."
"Well, it is a really truly tail, even if you don't think so,"retorted Grandfather Frog, "and he has it for a reminder."
"A reminder!" exclaimed Peter, looking very much puzzled. "A reminderof what?"
Grandfather Frog cleared his throat two or three times. "Sit down,Peter, and learn a lesson from the tale of the tail of Old King Bear,"said he very seriously.
"You remember that once upon a time, long ago, when the world wasyoung, Old King Bear ruled in the Green Forest, and everybody broughttribute to him."
Peter nodded and Grandfather Frog went on.
"Now Old King Bear was the great-great-ever-so-great grandfather ofBuster Bear, and he looked very much as Buster does, except that hedidn't have any tail at all, not the least sign of a tail. At first,before he was made king of the Green Forest, he didn't mind this atall. In fact, he was rather pleased that he didn't have a tail. Yousee, he couldn't think of any earthly use he would have for a tail,and so he was glad that he hadn't got one to bother with.
"This was just Old Mother Nature's view of the matter. She had doneher very best to give everybody everything that they really needed,and not to give them things which they didn't need. She couldn't seethat Mr. Bear had the least need of a tail, and so she hadn't givenhim one. Mr. Bear was perfectly happy without one, and was so busygetting enough to eat that he didn't have time for silly thoughts orvain wishes.
"Then he was made king over all the people of the Green Forest, andhis word was law. It was a very great honor, and for a while he feltit so and did his best to rule wisely. He went about just as before,hunting for his living, and had no more time than before for foolishthoughts or vain wishes. But after a little, the little people overwhom he ruled began to bring him tribute, so that he no longer had tohunt for enough to eat. Indeed, he had so much brought to him, that hecouldn't begin to eat all of it, and he grew very dainty and fussyabout what he did eat. Having nothing to do but eat and sleep, he grewvery fat and lazy, as is the case with most people who have nothing todo. He grew so fat that when he walked, he puffed and wheezed. He grewso lazy that he wanted to be waited on all the time.
"It happened about this time that he overheard Mr. Fox talking to Mr.Wolf when they both thought him asleep. 'A pretty kind of a king, heis!' sneered Mr. Fox. 'The idea of a king without a tail!'
"'That's so,' assented Mr. Wolf. 'Why, even that little upstart, Mr.Rabbit, has got a make-believe tail.'"
Grandfather Frog's eyes twinkled as he said this, and Peter lookedvery much embarrassed. But he didn't say anything, so Grandfather Frogwent on.
"Old King Bear pretended to wake up just then, and right away Mr. Foxand Mr. Wolf were as polite and smiling as you please and began toflatter him. They told him how proud they were of their king, and howhandsome he was, and a lot of other nice things, all of which he hadheard often before and had believed. He pretended to believe them now,but after they were through paying their respects and had gone away,he kept turning over and over in his mind what he had overheard themsay when they thought he was asleep.
"After that he couldn't think of anything but the fact that he hadn'tany tail. He took particular notice of all who came to pay himtribute, and he saw that every one of them had a tail. Some had longtails; some had short tails; some had handsome tails and some hadhomely tails; but everybody had a tail of some kind. The more he triednot to think of these tails, the more he did think of them. The morehe thought of them, the more discontented he grew because he had none.He didn't stop to think that probably all of them had use for theirtails. No, Sir, he didn't think of that. Everybody else had a tail,and he hadn't. He felt that it was a disgrace that he, the king,should have no tail. He brooded over it so much that he lost hisappetite and grew cross and peevish.
"Then along came Old Mother Nature to see how things were going in theGreen Forest. Of course she saw right away that something was wrongwith Old King Bear. When she asked him what the matter was, he wasashamed to tell her at first. But after a little he told her that hewanted a tail; that he could never again be happy unless he had atail. She told him that he hadn't the least use in the world for atail, and that he wouldn't be any happier if he had one. Nothing thatshe could say made any difference--he wanted a tail. Finally she gavehim one.
"For a few days Old King Bear was perfectly happy. He spent all hisspare time admiring his new tail. He called the attention of all hissubjects to it, and they all told him that it was a very wonderfultail and was very becoming to him. But it wasn't long before he foundthat his new tail was very much in the way. It bothered him when hewalked. It was in the way when he sat down. It was a nuisance when heclimbed a tree. He didn't have a single use for it, and yet he had tocarry it with him wherever he went. Worse still, he overheard littleMr. Squirrel and Mr. Possum making fun of it. And then he discoveredthat the very ones who admired his tail so to his face were laughingat him and poking fun at him behind his back.
"And then Old King Bear wished that he _hadn't_ a tail more than everhe wished that he _did_ have a tail. Again he lost his appetite andgrew cross and peevish, so that no one dared come near him. So matterswent from bad to worse, until once more Old Mother Nature visited theGreen Forest to see how things were. Very humbly Old King Bear wentdown on his knees and begged her to take away his tail. At first OldMother Nature refused, but he begged so hard and promised sofaithfully never again to be discontented, that finally she relentedand took away his tail, all but just a wee little bit. That she leftas a reminder lest he should forget the lesson he had learned andshould again grow envious.
"Then Old King Bear wished that he hadn't a tail."]
"And every bear since that long-ago day has carried about with him areminder--you can hardly call it a real tail--of the silly, foolishdiscontent of Old King Bear," concluded Grandfather Frog.
Peter Rabbit scratched one long ear thoughtfully as he replied: "Thankyou, Grandfather Frog. I think that hereafter I will be quite contentwith what I've got and never want things it is not meant that I shouldhave."
Mother West Wind 'Why' Stories Page 13