Mother West Wind Why Stories | Page 3

right up on end, he was so scared.
When it did that, it tickled the claws of Mr. Bob Cat. Mr. Bob Cat
grinned. It was an ugly grin to see. Then he reached in a little farther
and made a grab for little Mr. Chipmunk. His wide-spread, sharp claws
caught in little Mr. Chipmunk's coat near the neck and tore little strips
the whole length of it.
"Of course little Mr. Chipmunk squealed with pain, for those claws hurt
dreadfully, but he was glad that his coat tore. If it hadn't, Mr. Bob Cat
would surely have pulled him out. After a long time, Mr. Bob Cat gave
up and went off, growling and snarling. When he thought it was safe,
little Mr. Chipmunk crawled out of the old stump and hurried home. He
ached and smarted terribly, and his little plain brown coat was torn in
long strips.
"'This is what I get for meddling in the affairs of other folks!' said little
Mr. Chipmunk bitterly. 'If I'd just minded my own business, it wouldn't
have happened.'
"Just then he happened to look over to the house of Mr. Meadow
Mouse. There was Mr. Meadow Mouse playing with his children. He
didn't know a thing about what his neighbor, little Mr. Chipmunk, had
done for him, for you remember he hadn't seen Mr. Bob Cat at all.
Little Mr. Chipmunk grinned as well as he could for the pain.
"'I'm glad I did it,' he muttered. 'Yes, Sir, I'm glad I did it, and I'm glad
that Neighbor Meadow Mouse doesn't know about it. I'm glad that
nobody knows about it.
'A kindly deed's most kindly done In secret wrought, and seen of none.

And so I'm glad that no one knows.'
"Now just imagine how surprised little Mr. Chipmunk was, when in the
fall it came time to put on a new coat, to have Old Mother Nature hand
him out a beautiful striped coat instead of the little plain brown coat he
had expected. Old Mother Nature's eyes twinkled as she said:
"'There's a stripe for every tear made in your old coat by the claws of
Mr. Bob Cat the day you saved Mr. Meadow Mouse. They are honor
stripes, and hereafter you and your children and your children's
children shall always wear stripes.'
"And that is how it happens that Striped Chipmunk comes by his
striped coat, and why he is so proud of it, and takes such good care of
it," concluded Grandfather Frog.

II
WHY PETER RABBIT CANNOT FOLD HIS HANDS
Happy Jack Squirrel sat with his hands folded across his white
waistcoat. He is very fond of sitting with his hands folded that way. A
little way from him sat Peter Rabbit. Peter was sitting up very straight,
but his hands dropped right down in front. Happy Jack noticed it.
"Why don't you fold your hands the way I do, Peter Rabbit?" shouted
Happy Jack.
"I--I--don't want to," stammered Peter.
"You mean you can't!" jeered Happy Jack.
Peter pretended not to hear, and a few minutes later he hopped away
towards the dear Old Briar-patch, lipperty-lipperty-lip. Happy Jack
watched him go, and there was a puzzled look in Happy Jack's eyes.
"I really believe he can't fold his hands," said Happy Jack to himself,
but speaking aloud.
"He can't, and none of his family can," said a gruff voice.
Happy Jack turned to find Old Mr. Toad sitting in the Lone Little Path.
"Why not?" asked Happy Jack.
"Ask Grandfather Frog; he knows," replied Old Mr. Toad, and started
on about his business.
And this is how it happens that Grandfather Frog told this story to the
little meadow and forest people gathered around him on the bank of the
Smiling Pool.
"Chug-a-rum!" said Grandfather Frog. "Old Mr. Rabbit, the grandfather

a thousand times removed of Peter Rabbit, was always getting into
trouble. Yes, Sir, old Mr. Rabbit was always getting into trouble.
Seemed like he wouldn't be happy if he couldn't get into trouble. It was
all because he was so dreadfully curious about other people's business,
just as Peter Rabbit is now. It seemed that he was just born to be
curious and so, of course, to get into trouble.
"One day word came to the Green Forest and to the Green Meadows
that Old Mother Nature was coming to see how all the little meadow
and forest people were getting along, to settle all the little troubles and
fusses between them, and to find out who were and who were not
obeying the orders she had given them when she had visited them last.
My, my, my, such a hurrying and scurrying and worrying as there was!
You see, everybody wanted to look his best when Old Mother Nature