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Tale of Grumpy Weasel

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<h3>IX SAVING HIS FEET</h3> Old Mr. Crow and Jimmy Rabbit had a good laugh over Grumpy Weasel's plan for a race with Jimmy. They thought it a great joke. "He needn't give me a start," Jimmy said. "I can beat Grumpy easily." <ins class="correction" title="Close quote was originally single quote">"Never mind that!"</ins> Mr. Crow advised. "You might as well let him have his way. He'll look all the more foolish, trying to catch up with you." So Jimmy Rabbit agreed to run the race as Grumpy Weasel wished, saying that he was ready to start at once.[Pg 39] But Mr. Crow told him he had better wait till the next day. "That will give me time to tell everybody," he explained, "and then there'll be a big turnout to see you win—and to jeer at Grumpy Weasel for losing." And one could tell from Mr. Crow's remark that he liked Jimmy Rabbit and that he despised Grumpy Weasel. The next day proved to be a fine one for the race. It wasn't too hot nor too cold; and early in the morning the field- and forest-people began gathering at Grumpy Weasel's hunting ground, where the stone wall touched the clearing. About the only persons that objected to the time set for the race were Benjamin Bat and Solomon Owl. Benjamin said that he could never keep awake to watch it; and Solomon complained that he couldn't see well in the daytime. But all the rest of the company were in the best[Pg 40] of spirits, giggling slyly whenever they looked at Grumpy Weasel, who seemed to pay scant heed to his neighbors, though you may be sure his roving black eyes took in everything that was going on. He seemed more restless than ever as he waited for Jimmy Rabbit to arrive, walking to and fro on his front legs in a most peculiar fashion, while he kept his hind feet firmly planted on the ground in one spot. Of course he could never have moved about in this manner had his body not been so long and slender. Noticing Grumpy's strange actions, old Mr. Crow looked worried and asked him what was the matter. "I hope your hind feet aren't troubling you, just as the race is about to begin," he said. Grumpy Weasel hissed at the old gentleman before he replied: "Don't worry! You'll soon see that my hind feet can[Pg 41] travel as fast as my front ones—when I want to use them." "Ah!" Mr. Crow exclaimed knowingly. "He's saving his hind feet for the race." When Jimmy Rabbit reached the gathering place, coming up in a long lope, Mr. Crow hurried to meet him. "I advise you to save your hind feet," he whispered. "Grumpy Weasel is saving his." Jimmy Rabbit told Mr. Crow, with a smile, that he had saved his hind feet all his life—and his front ones, too. "I've brought them along to-day," he said, "to help me win this race." <hr style="width: 65%;" /> [Pg 42] <div style="break-after:column;"></div>

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