The Adventures of Prickly Porky | Page 2

to heed what was said to
him. Lipperty-lipperty-lip, lipperty-lipperty-lip, went Peter Rabbit
through the woods, as fast as his long legs would take him. Then

suddenly he squealed and sat down to nurse one of his feet. But he was
up again in a flash with another squeal louder than before. Peter Rabbit
had found the queer things that Happy Jack Squirrel had told him about.
One was sticking in his foot, and one was in the white patch on the seat
of his trousers.

II
THE STRANGER FROM THE NORTH
The Merry Little Breezes of Old Mother West Wind were excited. Yes,
Sir, they certainly were excited. They had met Happy Jack Squirrel and
Peter Rabbit, and they were full of the news of the queer things that
Happy Jack and Peter Rabbit had found over in the Green Forest. They
hurried this way and that way over the Green Meadows and told every
one they met. Finally they reached the Smiling Pool and excitedly told
Grandfather Frog all about it.
Grandfather Frog smoothed down his white and yellow waistcoat and
looked very wise, for you know that Grandfather Frog is very old.
"Pooh," said Grandfather Frog. "I know what they are."
"What?" cried all the Merry Little Breezes together. "Happy Jack says
he is sure they do not grow, for there are no strange plants over there."
Grandfather Frog opened his big mouth and snapped up a foolish green
fly that one of the Merry Little Breezes blew over to him.
"Chug-a-rum," said Grandfather Frog. "Things do not have to be on
plants in order to grow. Now I am sure that those things grew, and that
they did not grow on a plant."
The Merry Little Breezes looked puzzled. "What is there that grows
and doesn't grow on a plant?" asked one of them.
"How about the claws on Peter Rabbit's toes and the hair of Happy

Jack's tail?" asked Grandfather Frog.
The Merry Little Breezes looked foolish. "Of course," they cried. "We
didn't think of that. But we are quite sure that these queer things that
prick so are not claws, and certainly they are not hair."
"Don't you be too sure," said Grandfather Frog. "You go over to the
Green Forest and look up in the treetops instead of down on the ground;
then come back and tell me what you find."
Away raced the Merry Little Breezes to the Green Forest and began to
search among the treetops. Presently, way up in the top of a big poplar,
they found a stranger. He was bigger than any of the little meadow
people, and he had long sharp teeth with which he was stripping the
bark from the tree. The hair of his coat was long, and out of it peeped a
thousand little spears just like the queer things that Happy Jack and
Peter Rabbit had told them about.
"Good morning," said the Merry Little Breezes politely.
"Mornin'," grunted the stranger in the treetop.
"May we ask where you come from?" said one of the Merry Little
Breezes politely.
"I come from the North Woods," said the stranger and then went on
about his business, which seemed to be to strip every bit of the bark
from the tree and eat it.

III
PRICKLY PORKY MAKES FRIENDS
The Merry Little Breezes soon spread the news over the Green
Meadows and through the Green Forest that a stranger had come from
the North. At once all the little meadow people and forest folk made
some excuse to go over to the big poplar tree where the stranger was so

busy eating. At first he was very shy and had nothing to say. He was a
queer fellow, and he was so big, and his teeth were so sharp and so long,
that his visitors kept their distance.
Reddy Fox, who, you know, is a great boaster and likes to brag of how
smart he is and how brave he is, came with the rest of the little meadow
people.
"Pooh," exclaimed Reddy Fox. "Who's afraid of that fellow?"
Just then the stranger began to come down the tree. Reddy backed
away.
"It looks as if you were afraid, Reddy Fox," said Peter Rabbit.
"I'm not afraid of anything," said Reddy Fox, and swelled himself up to
look twice as big as he really is.
"It seems to me I hear Bowser the Hound," piped up Striped Chipmunk.
[Illustration: "Pooh," exclaimed Reddy Fox. "Who's afraid of that
fellow?" _Page 10._]
Now Striped Chipmunk had not heard Bowser the Hound at all when
he spoke, but just then there was the patter of heavy feet among the
dried leaves, and sure enough there was Bowser himself. My, how
everybody did run,--everybody but the stranger from the North. He