Mrs. Peter Rabbit

by Thornton W. Burgess

  'Yesterday has gone away; Make the most of just to-day.'

  Here I am up in the Old Pasture, and the question is, what shall I donext?"

  Peter felt a queer little thrill as he peeped out from under thefriendly bramble-bush. Very strange and wonderful it seemed. Of coursehe couldn't see very far, because the Old Pasture was all overgrown withbushes and briars, and they made the very blackest of black shadows inthe moonlight. Peter wondered what dangers might be awaiting him there,but somehow he didn't feel much afraid. No, Sir, he didn't feel muchafraid. You see those briars looked good to him, for briars are alwaysfriendly to Peter and unfriendly to those who would do harm to Peter. Sowhen he saw them, he felt almost at home.

  Peter drew a long breath. Then he cried "Ouch!" You see, he hadforgotten for a minute how sore he was. He was eager to explore this newwonderland, for Sammy Jay had told him wonderful tales about it, and heknew that here old Granny Fox and Reddy Fox had found safety when FarmerBrown's boy had hunted for them so hard on the Green Meadows and inthe Green Forest. He felt sure that there must be the most splendidhiding-places, and it seemed as if he certainly must start right out tosee them, for you know Peter is very, very curious. But the first movehe made brought another "Ouch" from him, and he made up a wry face.

  "I guess the best thing for me to do is to stay right where I am," saidhe, "for here I am safe under this friendly old bramble."

  So with a sigh Peter settled down to make himself as comfortable ashe could, and once, as far, far away on the Green Meadows he heard thevoice of Old Man Coyote, Peter even smiled.

  "I haven't anything to fear from him, anyway, for he'll never think ofcoming way up here," said he.

  CHAPTER VI

  PETER RABBIT IS STILL LONESOME

  A sympathetic word or two A wond'rous help is, when you're blue. So pity him who sits alone His aches and troubles to bemoan. Peter Rabbit.

  All the rest of that night Peter sat under a friendly old bramble-bushon the edge of the Old Pasture and nursed the sore places made by theclaws of Hooty the Owl. At last jolly, round, red Mr. Sun began to climbup in the blue, blue sky, just as he does every day. Peter looked up athim, and he felt sure that Mr. Sun winked at him. Somehow it made himfeel better. The fact is, Peter was beginning to feel just a wee, weebit homesick. It is bad enough to be in a strange place alone, but tobe sore and to smart and ache as Peter did makes that lonesome feelinga whole lot harder to bear. It is dreadful not to have any one to speakto, but to look around and not see a single thing you have ever seenbefore,--my, my, my, it certainly does give you a strange, sinkingfeeling way down inside!

  Before that long night was over Peter felt as if his heart had gone waydown to his very toes. Yes, Sir, that's the way he felt. Every timehe moved at all he cried "Ouch!" He just knew that he was growing morestiff and sore every minute. Then he began to wonder what he should dofor something to eat, for he was in a strange place, you remember. Andthat made him think of all his private little paths through the dear OldBriar-patch, the little paths he had made all himself, and which no oneused but himself, excepting Danny Meadow Mouse when he came for a visit.

  "Perhaps I shall never, never see them again," moaned Peter, and two bigtears filled his eyes and were just ready to drop.

  At that moment he looked up and saw jolly, round, red Mr. Sun wink.Peter tried to wink back, and that made the two tears fall. But therewere no more tears to follow. You see that wink had made all thedifference in the world, Peter's heart had jumped right back where itbelonged. Mr. Sun was one of his oldest friends and you know

  When trouble comes, a friendly face Makes bright the very darkest place.

  And so, just as he made bright all the Old Pasture, Mr. Sun also madebright the dark little corners in Peter's heart just because he was anold friend. To be sure Peter was still lonesome, but it was a differentkind of lonesomeness. He hadn't anybody to talk to, which is always adreadful thing to Peter, but he had only to look up to catch a friendlywink, and somehow that not only made him feel better inside but itseemed to make his aches and smarts better too.

  CHAPTER VII

  PETER FINDS TRACKS

  Every day is different from every other day, And always there is something new to see along the way. Peter Rabbit.

  Peter Rabbit had sat still just as long as he could. He was stiff andlame and sore from the wounds made by Hooty the Owl, but his curiositywouldn't let him sit still a minute longer. He just HAD to explore theOld Pasture. So with many a wry face and many an "Ouch" he limped outfrom the shelter of the friendly old bramble-bush and started out to seewhat the Old Pasture was like.

  Now Hooty the Owl had taught Peter wisdom. With his torn clothes and hisaches and smarts he couldn't very well forget to be careful. First hemade sure that there was no danger near, and this time he took pains tolook all around in the sky as well as on the ground. Then he limped outto the very patch of sweet clover where Hooty had so nearly caught himthe night before.

  "A good breakfast," said Peter, "will make a new Rabbit of me." You knowPeter thinks a great deal of his stomach. So he began to eat as fast ashe could, stopping every other mouthful to look and listen. "I know it'sa bad habit to eat fast," said he, "but it's a whole lot worse to havean empty stomach." So he ate and ate and ate as fast as he could makehis little jaws go, which is very fast indeed.

  When Peter's stomach was stuffed full he gave a great sigh of relief andlimped back to the friendly old bramble-bush to rest. But he couldn'tsit still long, for he just had to find out all about the Old Pasture.So pretty soon he started out to explore. Such a wonderful place as itseemed to Peter! There were clumps of bushes with little open spacesbetween, just the nicest kind of playgrounds. Then there were funnyspreading, prickly juniper-trees, which made the very safest places tocrawl out of harm's way and to hide. Everywhere were paths made by cows.Very wonderful they seemed to Peter, who had never seen any like thembefore. He liked to follow them because they led to all kinds of queerplaces.

  Sometimes he would come to places where tall trees made him think of theGreen Forest, only there were never more than a few trees together. Oncehe found an old tumble-down stone wall all covered with vines, and heshouted right out with delight.

  "It's a regular castle!" cried Peter, and he knew that there he would besafe from every one but Shadow the Weasel. But he never was wholly safefrom Shadow the Weasel anywhere, so he didn't let that thought worryhim. By and by he came to a wet place called a swamp. The ground wassoft, and there were little pools of water. Great ferns grew here justas they did along the bank of the Laughing Brook, only more of them.There were pretty birch-trees and wild cherry-trees. It was still anddark and oh, so peaceful! Peter liked that place and sat down under abig fern to rest. He didn't hear a sound excepting the beautiful silveryvoice of Veery the Thrush. Listening to it, Peter fell asleep, for hewas very tired.

  By and by Peter awoke. For a minute he couldn't think where he was. Thenhe remembered. But for a long time he sat perfectly still, thinking ofhis adventures and wondering if he would be missed down on the GreenMeadows. Then all of a sudden Peter saw something that made him sit upso suddenly that he cried "Ouch!" for he had forgotten all about howstiff and sore he was.

  What do you think Peter saw? Tracks! Yes, Sir, he saw tracks, Rabbittracks in the soft mud, and Peter knew that he hadn't made them!

  CHAPTER VIII

  THE STRANGE TRACKS IN THE OLD PASTURE

  Who has attentive ear and eye Will learn a lot if he but try. Peter Rabbit.

  Peter Rabbit stared and stared at the tracks in the soft mud of theswamp in the Old Pasture. He would look first at the tracks, then at hisown feet, and finally back at the tracks again. He scratched his longright ear with his long right hind foot. Then he scratched his long leftear with his long left hind foot, all the time staring his hardest atthose strange tracks. They certainly we
re the tracks of a Rabbit, and itwas equally certain that they were not his own.

  "They are too big for mine, and they are too small for Jumper theHare's. Besides, Jumper is in the Green Forest and not way off up here,"said Peter to himself. "I wonder--well, I wonder if he will try to driveme away."

  You see Peter knew that if he had found a strange Rabbit in his dear OldBriar-patch he certainly would have tried his best to drive him out, forhe felt that the Old Briar-patch belonged to him. Now he wondered ifthe maker of these tracks would feel the same way about the Old Pasture.Peter looked troubled as he thought it over. Then his face cleared.

  "Perhaps," said he hopefully, "he is a new comer here, too, and if heis, I'll have just as much right here as he has. Perhaps he simply hasbig feet and isn't any bigger or stronger than I am, and if that's thecase I'd like to see him drive me out!"

  Peter swelled himself out and tried to look as big as he could when hesaid this, but swelling himself out this way reminded him of how stiffand sore he was from the wounds given him by Hooty the Owl, and he madea wry face. You see he realized all of a sudden that he didn't feel muchlike fighting.

  "My," said Peter, "I guess I'd better find out all about this otherfellow before I have any trouble with him. The Old Pasture looks bigenough for a lot of Rabbits, and perhaps if I don't bother him, he won'tbother me. I wonder what he looks like. I believe I'll follow thesetracks and see what I can find."

  So Peter began to follow the tracks of the strange Rabbit, and he was sointerested that he almost forgot to limp. They led him this way and theyled him that way through the swamp and then out of it. At the foot of acertain birch-tree Peter stopped.

  "Ha!" said he, "now I shall know just how big this fellow is."

  How was he to know? Why, that tree was a kind of Rabbit measuring-stick.Yes, Sir, that is just what it was. You see, Rabbits like to keep arecord of how they grow, just as some little boys and girls do, but asthey have no doors or walls to stand against, they use trees. Andthis was the measuring-tree of the Rabbit whose tracks Peter had beenfollowing. Peter stopped at the foot of it and sat down to think itover. He knew what that tree meant perfectly well. He had one or twomeasuring-trees of his own on the edge of the Green Forest. He knew,too, that it was more than a mere measuring-tree. It was a kind of "notrespassing" sign. It meant that some other Rabbit had lived here forsome time and felt that he owned this part of the Old Pasture. Peter'snose told him that, for the tree smelled very, very strong of Rabbit--ofthe Rabbit with the big feet. This was because whoever used it for ameasuring-tree used to rub himself against it as far up as he couldreach.

  Peter hopped up close to it. Then he sat up very straight and stretchedhimself as tall as he could, but he wisely took care not to rub againstthe tree. You see, he didn't want to leave his own mark there. So hestretched and stretched, but stretch as he would, he couldn't make hiswobbly little nose reach the mark made by the other Rabbit.

  "My sakes, he is a big fellow!" exclaimed Peter. "I guess I don't wantto meet him until I feel better and stronger than I do now."

  CHAPTER IX

  AN UNPLEASANT SURPRISE

  Legs are very useful when you want to run away; Long, sharp teeth are splendid if to fight you want to stay; But a far, far greater blessing, whether one may stay or quit, Is a clever, trusty, quick and ever ready wit. Peter Rabbit.

  Peter Rabbit sat in a snug hiding-place in the Old Pasture and thoughtover what he had found out about the strange Rabbit whose tracks he hadfollowed. They had led him to a rubbing or measuring-tree, where thestrange Rabbit had placed his mark, and that mark was so high up on thetree that Peter knew the strange Rabbit must be a great deal bigger thanhimself.

  "If he's bigger, of course he is stronger," thought Peter, "and if he isboth bigger and stronger, of course it won't be the least bit of usefor me to fight him. Then, anyway, I'm too stiff and sore to fight. Andthen, he has no business to think he owns the Old Pasture, because hedoesn't. I have just as much right here as he has. Yes, Sir, I have justas much right in this Old Pasture as he has, and if he thinks he candrive me out he is going to find that he was never more mistaken in hislife! I'll show him! Yes, Sir-e-e, I'll show him! I guess my wits are assharp as his, and I wouldn't wonder if they are a little bit sharper."

  Foolish Peter Rabbit! There he was boasting and bragging to himself ofwhat he would do to some one whom he hadn't even seen, all because hehad found a sign that told him the Old Pasture, in which he had made uphis mind to make his new home, was already the home of some one else.Peter was like a lot of other people; he wasn't fair. No, Sir, he wasn'tfair. He let his own desires destroy his sense of fair play. It was allright for him to put up signs in the dear Old Briar-patch and the GreenForest, warning other Rabbits that they must keep away, but it was allwrong for another Rabbit to do the same thing in the Old Pasture. Oh,my, yes! That was quite a different matter! The very thought of it madePeter very, very angry. When he thought of this other Rabbit, it wasalways as the stranger. That shows just how unfair Peter was, because,you see, Peter himself was really the stranger. It was his first visitto the Old Pasture, while it was very plain that the other had livedthere for some time.

  But Peter couldn't or wouldn't see that. He had counted so much onhaving the Old Pasture to himself and doing as he pleased, that he wastoo upset and disappointed to be fair. If the other Rabbit had beensmaller than he--well, that might have made a difference. The truth is,Peter was just a wee bit afraid. And perhaps it was that wee bit of fearthat made him unfair and unjust. Anyway, the longer he sat and thoughtabout it, the angrier he grew, and the more he bragged and boasted tohimself about what he would do.

  "I'll just keep out of sight until my wounds are healed, and then we'llsee who owns the Old Pasture!" thought Peter.

  No sooner had this thought popped into his head than he received asurprise, such an unpleasant surprise! It was three heavy thumps rightbehind him. Peter knew what that meant. Of course he knew. It meant thathe must run or fight. It meant that he had been so busy thinking abouthow smart he was going to be that he had forgotten to cover his owntracks, and so the maker of the big tracks he had followed had found himout.

  Thump! Thump! Thump! There it was again. Peter knew by the sound thatit was of no use to stay and fight, especially when he was so sore andstiff. There was nothing to do but run away. He simply had to. And thatis just what he did do, while his eyes were filled with tears of rageand bitterness.

  CHAPTER X

  PETER RABBIT ALMOST DECIDES TO RETURN HOME

  I have no doubt that you've been told How timid folks are sometimes bold. Peter Rabbit.

  In all his life Peter Rabbit had never been so disappointed. Here he wasin the Old Pasture, about which he had dreamed and thought so long, andin reaching which he had had such a narrow escape from Hooty the Owl,and yet he was unhappy. The fact is, Peter was more unhappy than hecould remember ever to have been before. Not only was he unhappy, buthe was in great fear, and the worst of it was he was in fear of an enemywho could go wherever he could go himself.

  You see, it was this way: Peter had expected to find some enemies in theOld Pasture. He had felt quite sure that fierce old Mr. Goshawk was tobe watched for, and perhaps Mr. Redtail and one or two others of theHawk family. He knew that Granny and Reddy Fox had lived there once upona time and might come back if things got too unpleasant for them onthe Green Meadows, now that Old Man Coyote had made his home there. ButPeter didn't worry about any of these dangers. He was used to them, wasPeter. He had been dodging them ever since he could remember, A friendlybramble-bush, a little patch of briars, or an old stone wall near wasall that Peter needed to feel perfectly safe from these enemies, Butnow he was in danger wherever he went, for he had an enemy who couldgo everywhere he could, and it seemed to Peter that this enemy wasfollowing him all the time. Who was it? Why, it was a great big oldRabbit with a very short temper, who, because he had lived there fora
long time, felt that he owned the Old Pasture and that Peter had noright there.

  Now, In spite of all his trouble, Peter had seen enough of the OldPasture to think it a very wonderful place, a very wonderful placeindeed. He had seen just enough to want to see more. You know how verycurious Peter is. It seemed to him that he just couldn't go back to thedear Old Briar-patch on the Green Meadows until he had seen everythingto be seen in the Old Pasture. So he couldn't make up his mind to goback home, but stayed and stayed, hoping each day that the old grayRabbit would get tired of hunting for him, and would let him alone.

  But the old gray Rabbit didn't do anything of the kind. He seemed totake the greatest delight in waiting until Peter thought that he hadfound a corner of the Old Pasture where he would be safe, and then instealing there when Peter was trying to take a nap, and driving him out.Twice Peter had tried to fight, but the old gray Rabbit was too big forhim. He knocked all the wind out of poor Peter with a kick from his bighind legs, and then with his sharp teeth he tore Peter's coat.

  Poor Peter! His coat had already been badly torn by the cruel claws ofHooty the Owl, and Old Mother Nature hadn't had time to mend it when hefought with the old gray Rabbit. After the second time Peter didn't tryto fight again. He just tried to keep out of the way. And he did, too.But in doing it he lost so much sleep and he had so little to eat thathe grew thin and thin and thinner, until, with his torn clothes, helooked like a scarecrow.