VIII
JOHNNY CHUCK'S GREAT FIGHT
Johnny Chuck sat on the doorstep of his new home, looking away acrossthe Green Meadows. Johnny Chuck felt very well satisfied with himselfand with all the world. He yawned lazily and stretched and stretchedand then settled himself comfortably to watch the Merry Little Breezesplaying down by the Smiling Pool.
By and by he saw Peter Rabbit go bobbing along down the Lone LittlePath. Lipperty, lipperty, lip, went Peter Rabbit and every other jumphe looked behind him.
"Now what is Peter Rabbit up to?" said Johnny Chuck to himself, "andwhat does he keep looking behind him for?"
Johnny Chuck sat up a little straighter to watch Peter Rabbit hop downthe Lone Little Path. Then of a sudden he caught sight of somethingthat made him sit up straighter than ever and open his eyes very wide.Something was following Peter Rabbit. Yes, Sir, something was bobbingalong right at Peter Rabbit's heels.
Johnny Chuck forgot the Merry Little Breezes. He forgot how warm itwas and how lazy he felt. He forgot everything else in his curiosityto learn what it could be following so closely at Peter Rabbit's heels.
Presently Peter Rabbit stopped and sat up very straight andthen--Johnny Chuck nearly tumbled over in sheer surprise! He rubbedhis eyes to make sure that he saw aright, for there were two PeterRabbits! Yes, Sir, there were _two_ Peter Rabbits, only one was verysmall, very small indeed.
"Oh!" said Johnny Chuck, "that must be Peter Rabbit's baby brother!"
Then he began to chuckle till his fat sides shook. There sat PeterRabbit with his funny long ears standing straight up, and there rightbehind him, dressed exactly like him, sat Peter Rabbit's baby brotherwith _his_ funny little long ears standing straight up. When PeterRabbit wiggled _his_ right ear, his baby brother wiggled his right ear.When Peter Rabbit scratched his left ear, his baby brother scratched_his_ left ear. Whatever Peter Rabbit did, his baby brother did too.
Presently Peter Rabbit started on down the Lone Little Path--lipperty,lipperty, lip, and right at his heels went his baby brother--lipperty,lipperty, lip. Johnny Chuck watched them out of sight, and then hesettled himself on his doorstep once more to enjoy a sun bath. Everyonce in a while he chuckled to himself as he remembered how funny PeterRabbit's baby brother had looked. Presently Johnny Chuck fell asleep.
Jolly, round, red Mr. Sun had climbed quite high in the sky when JohnnyChuck awoke. He yawned and stretched and stretched and yawned, andthen he sat up to look over the Green Meadows. Then he became wideawake, very wide awake indeed! Way down on the Green Meadows he caughta glimpse of something red jumping about in the long meadow grass.
"That must be Reddy Fox," thought Johnny Chuck. "Yes, it surely isReddy Fox. Now I wonder what mischief he is up to."
Then he saw all the Merry Little Breezes racing towards Reddy Fox asfast as they could go. And there was Sammy Jay screaming at the top ofhis voice, and his cousin, Blacky the Crow. Happy Jack Squirrel wasdancing up and down excitedly on the branch of an old elm close by.
Johnny Chuck waited to see no more, but started down the Lone LittlePath to find out what it all was about. Half way down the Lone LittlePath he met Peter Rabbit running as hard as he could. His long earswere laid flat back, his big eyes seemed to pop right out of his head,and he was running as Johnny Chuck had never seen him run before.
"What are you running so for, Peter Rabbit?" asked Johnny Chuck.
"To get Bowser the Hound," shouted Peter Rabbit over his shoulder, ashe tried to run faster.
"Now what can be the matter?" said Johnny Chuck to himself, "to sendPeter Rabbit after Bowser the Hound?" He knew that, like all the otherlittle meadow people, there was nothing of which Peter Rabbit was soafraid as Farmer Brown's great dog, Bowser the Hound.
Johnny Chuck hurried down the Lone Little Path as fast as his shortlegs could take his fat, rolly-poly self.
Presently he came out onto the Green Meadows, and there he saw a sightthat set every nerve in his round little body a-tingle with rage.
Reddy Fox had found Peter Rabbit's baby brother and was doing his bestto frighten him to death.
"I'm going to eat you now," shouted Reddy Fox, and then he sprang onPeter Rabbit's baby brother and gave him a cuff that sent him heelsover head sprawling in the grass.
"Coward! Coward, Reddy Fox!" shrieked Sammy Jay.
"Shame! Shame!" shouted the Merry Little Breezes.
"You're nothing but a great big bully!" yelled Blacky the Crow.
But no one did anything to help Peter Rabbit's baby brother, for ReddyFox is so much bigger than any of the rest of them, except Bobby Coon,that all the little meadow people are afraid of him.
But Reddy Fox just laughed at them, and nipped the long ears of PeterRabbit's little brother so hard that he cried with the pain.
Now all were so intent watching Reddy Fox torment the baby brother ofPeter Rabbit that no one had seen Johnny Chuck coming down the LoneLittle Path. And for a few minutes no one recognized the furiouslittle yellow-brown bundle that suddenly knocked Reddy Fox over andseized him by the throat. You see it didn't look a bit like JohnnyChuck. Every hair was standing on end, he was so mad, and this madehim appear twice as big as they had ever seen him before.
"Coward! Coward! Coward!" shrieked Johnny Chuck as he shook Reddy Foxby the throat. And then began the greatest fight that the GreenMeadows had ever seen.
Now Johnny Chuck is not naturally a fighter. Oh my, no! He is sogood-natured and so sunny-hearted that he seldom quarrels with any one.But when he has to fight, there isn't a cowardly hair on him, not theteeniest, weeniest one. No one ever has a chance to cry, "'Fraid cat!Cry baby!" after Johnny Chuck.
So though, like all the other little meadow people, he was usually justa little afraid of Reddy Fox, because Reddy is so much bigger, heforgot all about it as soon as he caught sight of Reddy Fox tormentingPeter Rabbit's little brother. He didn't stop to think of what mighthappen to himself. He didn't stop to think at all. He just grittedhis teeth and in a flash had Reddy Fox on his back.
Such a fight was never seen before on the Green Meadows! Reddy Fox isa bully and a coward, for he never fights with any one of his own sizeif he can help it, but when he has to fight, he fights hard. And hecertainly had to fight now.
"Bully!" hissed Johnny Chuck as with his stout little hind feet heripped the bright red coat of Reddy Fox. "You great big bully!"
Over and over they rolled, Johnny Chuck on top, then Reddy Fox on top,then Johnny Chuck up again, clawing and snarling.
It seemed as if news of the fight had gone over all the Green Meadows,for the little meadow people came running from every direction--BillyMink, Little Joe Otter, Jerry Muskrat, Striped Chipmunk, Jimmy Skunk,old Mr. Toad. Even Great-Grandfather Frog, who left his big lily pad,and came hurrying with great jumps across the Green Meadows. Theyformed a ring around Reddy Fox and Johnny Chuck and danced withexcitement. And all wanted Johnny Chuck to win.
Peter Rabbit's poor little brother, so sore and lame from the knockingabout from Reddy Fox, and so frightened that he hardly dared breathe,lay flat on the ground under a little bush and was forgotten by all butthe Merry Little Breezes, who covered him up with some dead grass, andkissed him and whispered to him not to be afraid now. How PeterRabbit's little brother did hope that Johnny Chuck would win! Hisgreat, big, round, soft eyes were wide with terror as he thought ofwhat might happen to him if Reddy Fox should whip Johnny Chuck.
But Reddy Fox wasn't whipping Johnny Chuck. Try as he would, he couldnot get a good hold on that round, fat, little body. And JohnnyChuck's stout claws were ripping his red coat and white vest and JohnnyChuck's sharp teeth were gripping him so that they could not be shakenloose. Pretty soon Reddy Fox began to think of nothing but gettingaway. Every one was shouting for Johnny Chuck. Every time Reddy Foxwas underneath, he would hear a great shout from all the little meadowpeople, and he knew that they were glad.
Now Johnny Chuck was round and fat and rolly-poly, and when
one isround and fat and rolly-poly, one's breath is apt to be short. So itwas with Johnny Chuck. He had fought so hard that his breath wasnearly gone. Finally he loosed his hold on Reddy Fox for just a secondto draw in a good breath. Reddy Fox saw his chance, and, with a quickpull and spring, he broke away.
How all the little meadow people did scatter! You see they were verybrave, very brave indeed, so long as Johnny Chuck had Reddy Fox down,but now that Reddy Fox was free, each one was suddenly afraid andthought only of himself. Jimmy Skunk knocked Jerry Muskrat flat in hishurry to get away. Billy Mink trod on Great-Grandfather Frog's bigfeet and didn't even say "Excuse me." Striped Chipmunk ran head firstinto a big thistle and squealed as much from fear as pain.
But Reddy Fox paid no attention to any of them. He just wanted to getaway, and off he started, limping as fast as he could go up the LoneLittle Path. Such a looking sight! His beautiful red coat was intatters. His face was scratched. He hobbled as he ran. And just ashe broke away, Johnny Chuck made a grab and pulled a great mouthful ofhair out of the splendid tail Reddy Fox was so proud of.
When the little meadow people saw that Reddy Fox was actually runningaway, they stopped running themselves, and all began to shout: "ReddyFox is a coward and a bully! Coward! Coward!" Then they crowdedaround Johnny Chuck and all began talking at once about his great fight.
Just then they heard a great noise up on the hill. They saw Reddy Foxcoming back down the Lone Little Path, and he was using his legs justas well as he knew how. Right behind him, his great mouth open andwaking all the echoes with his big voice, was Bowser the Hound.
You see, although Peter Rabbit couldn't fight for his little babybrother and is usually very, very timid, he isn't altogether a coward.Indeed, he had been very brave, very brave indeed. He had gone up toFarmer Brown's and had jumped right under the nose of Bowser the Hound.Now that is something that Bowser the Hound never can stand. So off hehad started after Peter Rabbit. And Peter Rabbit had started back forthe Green Meadows as fast as his long legs could take him, for he knewthat if once Bowser the Hound caught sight of Reddy Fox, he wouldforget all about such a little thing as a saucy rabbit.
Sure enough, half way down the Lone Little Path they met Reddy Foxsneaking off home, and, when Bowser the Hound saw him, he straightwayforgot all about Peter Rabbit, and, with a great roar, started afterReddy Fox.
When Johnny Chuck had carefully brushed his coat and all the littlemeadow people had wished him good luck, he started off up the LoneLittle Path for home, the Merry Little Breezes dancing ahead and PeterRabbit coming lipperty, lipperty, lip behind, and right between themhopped Peter Rabbit's little brother, who thought Johnny Chuck thegreatest hero in the world.
When they reached Johnny Chuck's old home, Peter Rabbit and PeterRabbit's little brother tried to tell him how thankful they were tohim, but Johnny Chuck just laughed and said: "It was nothing at all,just nothing at all."
When at last all had gone, even the Merry Little Breezes, Johnny Chuckslipped away to his new home, which is his secret, you know, which noone knows but jolly, round, red Mr. Sun, who won't tell.
"I hope," said Johnny Chuck, as he stretched himself out on the moundof warm sand by his doorway, for he was very tired, "I hope," saidJohnny Chuck, sighing contentedly, "that Reddy Fox got away from Bowserthe Hound!"
And Reddy Fox did.
Mother West Wind's Children Page 8