PETER LEARNS A NEW WORD
While Peter Mink marched on, believing that the circus parade wasfollowing him (when Jimmy Rabbit had actually led it away in theopposite direction), Peter kept trying to think of some trick he couldplay on the parade.
He decided, at last, that he would hunt around until he found thesmallest hole he could possibly squeeze through, and he would squirmthrough it, and then have fun watching the others try to follow him.
Finally he found a log which lay upon a rocky ledge. Between the log andthe rock there was a narrow opening. And when he saw that, Peter knewit was the very place he had been looking for. Without once glancingaround, he thrust his head through the crack.
Then something happened. Peter Mink always claimed, afterwards, that thelog settled a bit lower, or the rock rose a bit higher. Anyhow, to hisastonishment, he found himself stuck fast under the log. Such a thinghad never happened to him before.
"Well!" he said to himself, "there are plenty of people here to help me,anyhow." You see, he hadn't discovered that the whole parade--excepthim--had turned about and followed Jimmy Rabbit.
Peter Mink thought it was strange that nobody came and offered to helphim. And soon he began to shout.
Still no one came. And Peter began to wish that he hadn't tried to playa trick on the paraders. For he saw that he was in something very likea trap. In fact, it was a trap, which Johnnie Green had set. But Peterdidn't know that. If he had, he would have been even more worried thanhe was. It was bad enough, just to imagine what would happen if old dogSpot should come along and find him.
* * * * * * *
Jimmy Rabbit had a fine time leading the parade. You may be sure helooked around at the procession following him. And he shouted a goodmany orders, too, telling different ones just what they should orshouldn't do.
The parade had marched through the woods for a long time; and Jimmy wasabout to stop and tell everybody that the fun was over, when he saw allat once that it was really just going to begin. For right in front ofhim he saw his friend. Peter Mink, pinned fast beneath the log.
"You've been long enough coming to help me!" Peter Mink growled. "Getthis log off me--you people--and be quick about it!"
Brownie Beaver left his place in the parade and hurried forward, becausehe knew more about handling logs than anybody else there. But before hecould get his coat off, Jimmy Rabbit called him one side and whisperedto him. And then Jimmy whispered to everybody else. And the paradedisbanded. Then everybody crowded around Peter Mink.
"What is it you want?" Jimmy Rabbit asked Peter.
"Want?" Peter Mink screamed. "Are you blind? Can't you see this greatlog on top of me? Can't you get it off? What are you waiting for?"
"Ah!" said Jimmy Rabbit. "We are waiting for just one thing. And wehaven't heard it yet."
"Heard it?" Peter Mink snarled. "Aren't your ears big enough to heareverything?"
"We're going to teach you something," said Jimmy. "And until you'velearned the lesson, we're going to leave you right where you are."
You should have heard Peter Mink then--or rather, you're lucky youdidn't hear him. For the way he went on was something dreadful. Butuntil Jimmy Rabbit heard what he was waiting for, he wouldn't let anyoneroll the log off Peter.
Finally it grew so late that some of the paraders said they would haveto be going home pretty soon. And then Billy Woodchuck remarked that hedidn't believe Peter Mink had the least idea what they were waitingfor.
"I think we ought to tell him," Billy said.
So Jimmy Rabbit told Peter what it was.
"I don't know what it means," said Peter.
"Well--say it, anyhow!" Jimmy Rabbit ordered. "And after this, wheneveryou want anybody to do anything for you, don't forget to say it! Itwouldn't do you a bit of harm to practice saying it every day, for awhile, until you get used to it."
Peter Mink looked as if he would have liked to do something to JimmyRabbit. And for a long time he refused to obey. But when Brownie Beaversaid that he simply must go home, because it was so late, Peter Minksaid what Jimmy had been waiting for.
It was "Please!"
And no doubt you guessed it long ago.