The Tale of Nimble Deer | Page 5

to get a carrot between his lips that he thought night would never come. But darkness fell at last. And some hours later his mother said to him, "Are you ready?"
He was. So together they passed silently along the old runway which led, as his mother knew, to the pasture fence. The woods were inky black, for the moon had not yet risen. But Nimble's mother remarked that she thought they would see it when they reached the open hillside.
Just before they came to the fence somebody spoke. Nimble's mother jumped when somebody cried, "Good evening!" But she knew at once that it was only Jimmy Rabbit.
"I see you're on time," he said. "I haven't been waiting long."
"Waiting?" Nimble's mother exclaimed. "Waiting for what?"
"For you!" he answered. "I heard you were going down to the garden patch to-night; and I'm to be one of the party."
The good lady thought it queer. How did Jimmy Rabbit happen to have heard of the excursion? She couldn't imagine. But he was a harmless little fellow. Really she didn't mind having him go with her.
"Very well!" she told him. "But remember: You must be quiet!" And she was just about to walk up to the fence when she gave a searching look all around. "Bless me!" she muttered. "I never saw so many eyes in all my life. Who are all these people?"
It was no wonder she asked that question. For no matter where she turned, pairs of eyes burned in the darkness.
Strangely enough, nobody answered. Jimmy Rabbit didn't say a word. And as for Nimble, he didn't seem to hear--nor understand--anything his mother said.
"I repeat," she spoke again, "who are these people? Why have they gathered here? The woods aren't afire, are they?" And she lifted her nose and sniffed at the air. But she could find no trace of smoke.
Somehow Nimble began to feel ill at ease. He edged away from his mother and tried to hide behind Jimmy Rabbit. And that was a ridiculous thing to do; because Nimble was ever so much the bigger of the two.
Presently his mother gave him a sharp look. And then he, too, raised his muzzle and sniffed.
"I don't smell any smoke," he stammered.
"Do you know why there's such a crowd here?" she asked him sternly.
"I think," he said, "they expect to go to the garden patch with us."
And his mother wondered, then, why she hadn't guessed the secret instantly.

VI
AN UNEXPECTED PARTY
Nimble's mother's plans went all awry. She had expected to give her son a treat by taking him quietly to Farmer Green's carrot patch, so that he might have his first taste of carrots. So it wasn't strange that it upset her a bit when she found that there were dozens of other forest folk all ready and waiting to go along with them. One extra member of the party wouldn't have displeased her, especially when that one was Jimmy Rabbit. But she had never gone near the farm buildings with more than two others. And she didn't intend to break her rule now.
Besides, it annoyed her above all to know that her son had spread the news of the excursion far and wide.
"Did you invite these people?" she asked Nimble in a low voice.
"No! Oh, no!"
"Then what brings them here?" she demanded.
"Their legs, I suppose," he replied.
"Be careful!" she said. "Be very careful!"
Then Nimble began to whine. And that was something he almost never did.
"They said they'd like to come," he told his mother. "And I said maybe you wouldn't mind."
"Well, I do mind," she declared firmly. "When I take a child to the carrot patch for the first time I don't want company. One of this crowd is more than likely to rouse old dog Spot. And we can't have him ranging around while we're dining."
"Then tell everybody to go home!" Nimble suggested. "Tell them to go 'way!"
"No!" said his mother. "That wouldn't be polite."
She was silent for a few moments. And then she explained to Jimmy Rabbit and to the owners of the pairs of eyes that still stared at her out of the darkness. She explained that on account of an unexpected party she wasn't going to the carrot patch that night.
"When are you going?" asked the owner of one pair of specially bright eyes.
"Ha!" Nimble's mother exclaimed. "Is that Cuffy Bear speaking?"
"Yessum!" said the same voice.
"I fear," she told him, "I may not be able to go for a long time."
"Never mind!" Cuffy cried. "I can go any night--that is, until I den up for the winter."
And every one in the company declared that he hadn't a single engagement that would prevent him from visiting the garden whenever Nimble's mother should say the word.
"Well," said she, "it won't be to-night, anyhow." And with that she turned around and began