Mother West Wind Why Stories | Page 9

best things taken. Sometimes it was of terrible frights that some of
the littlest people had received by being wakened in the night and
seeing a fierce face with long, sharp teeth grinning at them. Sometimes
it was of worse things that were told in whispers. Mr. Fox used to listen
as if very much shocked, and say that something ought to be done
about it, and wonder who it could be who would do such dreadful
things.
"By and by things got so bad that they reached the ears of Old Mother
Nature, and she came to find out what it all meant. Now, the very night
before she arrived, Mrs. Quack, who lived on the river bank, had a
terrible fright. Somebody sprang upon her as she was sleeping, and in

the struggle she lost all her tail feathers. She hurried to tell Old Mother
Nature all about it, and big tears rolled down her cheeks as she told
how she had lost all her beautiful tail feathers. Mother Nature called all
the people of the forest and the meadows together. She made them all
pass before her, and she looked sharply at each one as they went by. Mr.
Fox looked meeker than ever, and he was very humble and polite.
"Now when Mr. Fox had paid his respects and turned his back, Old
Mother Nature saw something red on the tail of his coat. It was nothing
but a little smear of red clay, but that was enough for Old Mother
Nature. You see, she knew that Mrs. Quack's home was right at the foot
of a red claybank. She didn't say a word until everybody had paid their
respects and passed before her. Then she told them how grieved she
was to hear of all the trouble there had been, but that she couldn't watch
over each one all the time; they must learn to watch out for themselves.
"And so that you may know who to watch out for, from now on never
trust the one who wears a bright red coat," concluded Old Mother
Nature.
"All of a sudden Mr. Fox became aware that everybody was looking at
him, and in every face was hate. He glanced at his coat. It was bright
red! Then Mr. Fox knew that he had been found out, and he sneaked
away with his tail between his legs. The first chance he got, he went to
Old Mother Nature and begged her to give him back his old coat. She
promised that she would when his heart changed, and he changed his
ways. But his heart never did change, and his children and his
children's children were just like him. They have always been the
smartest and the sliest and the most feared and disliked of all the little
people on the meadows or in the forest. And now you know why Reddy
Fox wears a red coat," concluded Grandfather Frog.
Peter Rabbit drew a long breath. "Thank you, thank you, Grandfather
Frog!" said he. "I--I think hereafter I'll be quite content with my own
suit, even if it isn't handsome. Jenny Wren was right. A good heart and
honest ways are better than fine clothes."

V
WHY JIMMY SKUNK NEVER HURRIES
The Merry Little Breezes of Old Mother West Wind had just been
released from the big bag in which she carries them every night to their

home behind the Purple Hills and every morning brings them back to
the Green Meadows to romp and play all day. They romped and raced
and danced away, some one way, some another, to see whom they
could find to play with. Presently some of them spied Jimmy Skunk
slowly ambling down the Crooked Little Path, stopping every few steps
to pull over a loose stone or stick. They knew what he was doing that
for. They knew that he was looking for fat beetles for his breakfast.
They danced over to him and formed a ring around him while they
sang:
"Who is it never, never hurries? Who is it never, never worries? Who is
it does just what he pleases, Just like us Merry Little Breezes? Jimmy
Skunk! Jimmy Skunk!"
Now not so far away but that he could hear them very plainly sat Peter
Rabbit, just finishing his breakfast in a sweet-clover patch. He sat up
very straight, so as to hear better. Of course some of the Merry Little
Breezes saw him right away. They left Jimmy to come over and dance
in a circle around Peter, for Peter is a great favorite with them. And as
they danced they sang:
"Who is it hops and skips and jumps? Who is it sometimes loudly
thumps? Who is it dearly loves to play, But when there's danger