The Adventures of Prickly Porky | Page 6

have seen it. Why don't you go up there and ask him,
Jimmy Skunk? You're not afraid of anybody or anything."
"I will," replied Jimmy promptly, and off he started. You see, he felt
very much flattered by Old Mr. Toad's remark, and he couldn't very
well refuse, for that would look as if he were afraid, after all.

VII
JIMMY SKUNK CALLS ON PRICKLY PORKY
"A plague upon Old Mr. Toad!" grumbled Jimmy, as he ambled up the
Lone Little Path through the Green Forest on his way to the hill where
Prickly Porky lives. "Of course I'm not afraid, but just the same I don't
like meddling with things I don't know anything about. I'm not afraid of
anybody I know of, because everybody has the greatest respect for me,
but it might be different with a creature without legs or head or tail.
Whoever heard of such a thing? It gives me a queer feeling inside."
However, he kept right on, and as he reached the foot of the hill where
Prickly Porky lives, he looked sharply in every direction and listened
with all his might for strange sounds. But there was nothing unusual to
be seen. The Green Forest looked just as it always did. It was very still
and quiet there save for the cheerful voice of Redeye the Vireo telling
over and over how happy he was.
"That doesn't sound as if there were any terrible stranger around here,"
muttered Jimmy.

Then he heard a queer, grunting sound, a very queer sound, that seemed
to come from somewhere on the top of the hill. Jimmy grinned as he
listened. "That's Prickly Porky telling himself how good his dinner
tastes," laughed Jimmy. "Funny how some people do like to hear their
own voices."
The contented sound of Prickly Porky's voice made Jimmy feel very
sure that there could be nothing very terrible about just then, anyway,
and so he slowly ambled up the hill, for you know he never hurries. It
was an easy matter to find the tree in which Prickly Porky was at work
stripping off bark and eating it, because he made so much noise.
"Hello!" said Jimmy Skunk.
Prickly Porky took no notice. He was so busy eating, and making so
much noise about it, that he didn't hear Jimmy at all.
"Hello!" shouted Jimmy a little louder. "Hello, there! Are you deaf?"
Of course this wasn't polite at all, but Jimmy was feeling a little out of
sorts because he had had to make this call. This time Prickly Porky
looked down.
"Hello yourself, and see how you like it, Jimmy Skunk!" he cried.
"Come on up and have some of this nice bark with me." Then Prickly
Porky laughed at his own joke, for he knew perfectly well that Jimmy
couldn't climb, and that he wouldn't eat bark if he could.
Jimmy made a face at him. "Thank you, I've just dined. Come down
here where I can talk to you without straining my voice," he replied.
"Wait until I get another bite," replied Prickly Porky, stripping off a
long piece of bark. Then with this to chew on, he came half way down
the tree and made himself comfortable on a big limb. "Now, what is it
you've got on your mind?" he demanded.
At once Jimmy told him the queer story Peter Rabbit had told. "I've
been sent up here to find out if you have seen this legless, headless,
tailess creature. Have you?" he concluded.

Prickly Porky slowly shook his head. "No," said he. "I've been right
here all the time, and I haven't seen any such creature."
"That's all I want to know," replied Jimmy. "Peter Rabbit's got
something the matter with his eyes, and I'm going straight back to the
Old Briar-patch to tell him so. Much obliged." With that Jimmy started
back the way he had come, grumbling to himself.

VIII
PRICKLY PORKY NEARLY CHOKES
Hardly was Jimmy Skunk beyond sight and hearing after having made
his call than Redeye the Vireo, whose home is in a tree just at the foot
of the hill where Prickly Porky lives, heard a very strange noise. He
was very busy, was Redeye, telling all who would listen how happy he
was and what a beautiful world this is. Redeye seems to think that this
is his special mission in life, that he was put in the Green Forest for this
one special purpose,--to sing all day long, even in the hottest weather
when other birds forget to sing, his little song of gladness and
happiness. It never seems to enter his head that he is making other
people happy just by being happy himself and saying so.
At first he hardly noticed the strange noise,