The Adventures of Prickly Porky | Page 4

cried one
of the Merry Little Breezes, who happened along just in time to
overhear her. "He'll be home pretty soon. In fact, I think I see him
coming now."

Mrs. Peter looked in the direction that the Merry Little Breeze was
looking, and sure enough there was Peter. He was heading straight for
the dear Old Briar-patch, and he was running as if he were trying to
show how fast he could run. Mrs. Peter's heart gave a frightened thump.
"It must be that Reddy or Granny Fox or Old Man Coyote is right at his
heels," thought she, but look as hard as she would, she could see
nothing to make Peter run so.
In a few minutes he reached her side. His eyes were very wide, and it
was plain to see that he was bursting with important news.
"What is it, Peter? Do tell me quick! Have you had another narrow
escape?" gasped little Mrs. Peter.
Peter nodded while he panted for breath. "There's another stranger in
the Green Forest, a terrible looking fellow without legs or head or tail,
and he almost caught me!" panted Peter.

V
PETER RABBIT TELLS HIS STORY
When Peter Rabbit could get his breath after his long hard run from the
Green Forest to the dear Old Briar-patch, he had a wonderful story to
tell. It was all about a stranger in the Green Forest, and to have heard
Peter tell about it, you would have thought, as Mrs. Peter did, that it
was a very terrible stranger, for it had no legs, and it had no head, and it
had no tail. At least, that is what Peter said.
"You see, it was this way," declared Peter. "I had stopped longer than I
meant to in the Green Forest, for you know, my dear, I always try to be
home by the time jolly, round, red Mr. Sun gets out of bed and Old
Mother West Wind gets down on the Green Meadows." Mrs. Peter
nodded. "But somehow time slipped away faster than I thought for, or
else Mr. Sun got up earlier than usual," continued Peter. Then he
stopped. That last idea was a new one, and it struck Peter as a good one.
"I do believe that that is just what happened--Mr. Sun must have made

a mistake and crawled out of bed earlier than usual," he cried.
Mrs. Peter looked as if she very much doubted it, but she didn't say
anything, and so Peter went on with his story.
"I had just realized how light it was and had started for home, hurrying
with all my might, when I heard a little noise at the top of the hill
where Prickly Porky the Porcupine lives. Of course I thought it was
Prickly himself starting out for his breakfast, and I looked up with my
mouth open to say hello. But I didn't say hello. No, Sir, I didn't say a
word. I was too scared. There, just starting down the hill straight
towards me, was the most dreadful creature that ever has been seen in
the Green Forest! It didn't have any legs, and it didn't have any head,
and it didn't have any tail, and it was coming straight after me so fast
that I had all I could do to get out of the way!" Peter's eyes grew very
round and wide as he said this. "I took one good look, and then I
jumped. My gracious, how I did jump!" he continued. "Then I started
for home just as fast as ever I could make my legs go, and here I am,
and mighty glad to be here!"
Mrs. Peter had listened with her mouth wide open. When Peter finished,
she closed it with a snap and hopped over and felt of his head.
"Are you sick, Peter?" she asked anxiously.
Peter stared at her. "Sick! Me sick! Not a bit of it!" he exclaimed.
"Never felt better in my life, save that I am a little tired from my long
run. What a silly question! Do I look sick?"
"No-o," replied little Mrs. Peter slowly. "No-o, you don't look sick, but
you talk as if there were something the matter with your head. I think
you must be just a little light-headed, Peter, or else you have taken a
nap somewhere and had a bad dream. Did I understand you to say that
this dreadful creature has no legs, and yet that it chased you?"
"That's what I said!" snapped Peter a wee bit crossly, for he saw that
Mrs. Peter didn't believe a word of his story.

"Will you please tell me how any creature in the Green Forest or out of
it, for that matter, can possibly chase any one unless