The Adventures of Jimmy Skunk | Page 8

questions."
Jimmy came ambling along in his usual lazy manner. He had quite
recovered his good nature. He felt that he was more than even with
Reddy Fox, and as he was none the worse for his wild ride in the barrel,
he had quite forgotten that he had lost his temper.
"Hello, Jimmy. Have you seen Peter Rabbit this morning?" cried
Sammy Jay.
Jimmy looked up and grinned. "Yes," said he. "I saw him up here early
this morning. Why?"

"Did he see you go into that old barrel?" persisted Sammy.
"I don't know," confessed Jimmy. "He may have. What have you got on
your mind, Sammy Jay?"
"Nothing much, only Reddy Fox was chasing him when he ran against
that barrel and sent you rolling down the hill," replied Sammy.
Jimmy pricked up his ears. "Then Reddy didn't do it purposely!" he
exclaimed.
"No," replied Sammy. "He didn't do it purposely. I am quite sure that
he didn't know you were in it. But how about Peter Rabbit? I am
wondering. And I'm doing a little guessing, too."

VIII
JIMMY SKUNK LOOKS FOR PETER
Jimmy Skunk looked very hard at Sammy Jay. Sammy Jay looked very
hard at Jimmy Skunk. Then Sammy slowly shut one eye and as slowly
opened it again. It was a wink.
"You mean," said Jimmy Skunk, "that you guess that Peter Rabbit
knew that I was in that barrel, and that he jumped over it so as to make
Reddy Fox run against it. Is that it?"
Sammy Jay said nothing, but winked again. Jimmy grinned. Then he
looked thoughtful. "I wonder," said he slowly, "if Peter did it so as to
gain time to get away from Reddy Fox."
"I wonder," said Sammy Jay.
"And I wonder if he did it just to get Reddy into trouble," continued
Jimmy.
"I wonder," repeated Sammy Jay.

"And I wonder if he did it for a joke, a double joke on Reddy and
myself," Jimmy went on, scratching his head thoughtfully.
"I wonder," said Sammy Jay once more, and burst out laughing.
Now Jimmy Skunk has a very shrewd little head on his shoulders. "So
that is your guess, is it? Well, I wouldn't be a bit surprised if you are
right," said he, nodding his head. "I think I will go look for Peter. I
think he needs a lesson. Jokes that put other people in danger or make
them uncomfortable can have no excuse. My neck might have been
broken in that wild ride down the hill, and certainly I was made most
uncomfortable. I felt as if everything inside me was shaken out of place
and all mixed up. Even now my stomach feels a bit queer, as if it might
not be just where it ought to be. By the way, what became of Peter after
he jumped over the barrel?"
Sammy shook his head. "I don't know," he confessed. "You see, it was
very exciting when that barrel started rolling, and we knew by the
sounds that there was some one inside it. I guess Reddy Fox forgot all
about Peter. I know I did. And when the barrel broke to pieces against
that stone down there, and you and Reddy faced each other, it was still
more exciting. After it was over, I looked for Peter, but he was nowhere
in sight. He hadn't had time to reach the Old Briar-patch. I really would
like to know myself what became of him."
Jimmy Skunk turned and looked down the hill. Then in his usual slow
way he started back towards the broken barrel.
"Where are you going?" asked Sammy.
"To look for Peter Rabbit," replied Jimmy. "I want to ask him a few
questions."
Jimmy Skunk ambled along down the hill. At first he was very angry as
he thought of what Peter had done, and he made up his mind that Peter
should be taught a lesson he would never forget. But as he ambled
along, the funny side of the whole affair struck him, for Jimmy Skunk
has a great sense of humor, and before he reached the bottom of the hill

his anger had all gone and he was chuckling.
"I'm sorry if I did Reddy Fox an injustice," thought he, "but he makes
so much trouble for other people that I guess no one else will be sorry.
He isn't likely to bother any one for some time. Peter really ought to be
punished, but somehow I don't feel so much like punishing him as I did.
I'll just give him a little scare and let the scamp off with that. Now, I
wonder where he can be. I have an idea he isn't very far away. Let me
see. Seems to me I remember an old