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In: Children & Young Adult Reading·Adventure
Public-domain ebook sourced from Project Gutenberg #57556.
The opening · free to read
Doctor Rabbit lived in the very biggest tree in the Big Green Woods. He looked after all the other rabbits when they were ill and he doctored quite a number of the other little creatures of the Big Woods too, when they did not feel well. He was so jolly and cheerful, always trying so hard to help others, that he had a great many friends.
Doctor Rabbit said when he came to live in the Big Green Woods he didn’t have the least idea that he would have so many adventures. “But then,” he said one day as he curled his mustache, “it’s a good thing I have so many adventures. They make me take plenty of exercise, and that’s fine for my constitution.” What he meant by this was that exercise kept him in good health.
I said Doctor Rabbit looked after some of the other creatures when they were ill. But there were some he did not dare go near. Well, I should say not! For instance, there was Ki-yi Coyote, who lived out on the Wide Prairie just outside the Big Green Woods. No, Doctor Rabbit never went near Ki-yi Coyote. And if old Ki-yi had been ill and if all his relatives had been so ill they never again would be able to get out of bed, Doctor Rabbit would not have cared at all. No indeed, he would have been glad of it, because Ki-yi Coyote and all his relatives, who lived far away, were ready any time to gobble up Doctor Rabbit.
Now, one fine morning in spring Doctor Rabbit began to have trouble with Ki-yi. On this morning Doctor Rabbit arose from his bed very early and prepared a fine breakfast for himself. He cooked some nice new potatoes and green peas he had found in Farmer Roe’s garden. After he had eaten his breakfast he had to wash the dishes because there wasn’t anybody else to do it. You see, he lived all alone in the big tree. He didn’t like to wash dishes but he did it anyway. Then he put on his second best pair of glasses and went out in his front yard to get some fresh air and see if his neighbor, Blue Jay, was up.
There was a very good reason why he wanted to know whether Blue Jay was up. Just now Doctor Rabbit was greatly troubled. Now, what do you suppose he was troubled about? Why, word had been brought the night before that Billy Rabbit, the small son of Jack and Mrs. Jack Rabbit, who lived far out on the Wide Prairie, was ill. Blue Jay had come flying in to tell the news. He said Mrs. Jack Rabbit told him if Billy was not better by morning Doctor Rabbit would simply have to cross the Wide Prairie even if it was dangerous.
Now Doctor Rabbit was a cottontail rabbit, so of course he couldn’t run faster than any other cottontail. He could not run anything like so fast nor so far as could Jack Rabbit. So Doctor Rabbit was greatly troubled this morning. He could not sit still, but kept walking slowly round and round in his front yard. As he walked round and round he said to himself, “I’ve never been so far out on the open Wide Prairie as Jack Rabbit’s. Suppose I should go away out there to see little sick Billy and Ki-yi Coyote should get after me! Goodness gracious! He would be almost sure to catch me.” Doctor Rabbit trembled a little and looked all around even though he was right in his own dooryard. He very much hoped he would not be called to go so far out on the Wide Prairie.
But what he feared happened. Very soon Jack Rabbit came running fast, and flying right along with him came Blue Jay. Busy Blue Jay generally knows everything that is happening.
Jack Rabbit walked straight up to Doctor Rabbit and, bowing politely, said:
“I’m so glad I found you at home, Doctor. My son Billy is no better. In fact, he is much worse, and we are troubled about him. Can’t you run over and see him right now?”
For a moment Doctor Rabbit did not know what to say. He feared Ki-yi Coyote, but at the same time he hated to think of Billy Rabbit’s being so ill with no one there to make him well. He thought and thought. Finally he said:
“Of course, Friend Jack Rabbit, I shall try to get over to see your son. But as you know, it’s very dangerous for me because I can’t run more than half as fast as you can. Now what could we do if old Ki-yi Coyote should happen to get after us?”
Friend Jack Rabbit scratched his head and said he hadn’t thought about that. It was a very serious matter, too. For suppose Ki-yi Coyote should gobble up good Doctor Rabbit! Then what would the woods creatures do? They must certainly plan some means of going in safety.
“Say!” said Doctor Rabbit suddenly, “I’ve thought of a plan. I’ll just ride on your back and we’ll get there in no time!”
But Friend Jack Rabbit scratched his head again. He wasn’t sure he could carry Doctor Rabbit, because the Doctor was very portly--that is, he was pretty fat and heavy. But anyway he agreed to try the plan. So Doctor Rabbit hurried into his house and put on his best pair of gold glasses and his best clothes. He always liked, he said, to look his best before his patients. Then with his medicine case in hand he sprang upon Jack Rabbit’s back.
“See how fast you can run to the edge of the Big Green Woods. That will be a good test!” shouted Doctor Rabbit, and Jack Rabbit answered, “Very well. If you’re ready I’ll try!”
Just as Jack Rabbit started for the edge of the Big Green Woods with Doctor Rabbit on his back, Blue Jay flew along ahead of them. Then came Robin-the-Red, whistling Red Bird and others. They had never seen Doctor Rabbit ride before and they all laughed and shouted at the funny appearance he made.
Away went Jack Rabbit as fast as he could for the edge of the Woods.
“This is fine!” cried Doctor Rabbit. “Keep it up, Jack Rabbit, and we’ll be at your house in a jiffy!”
“Ha! ha! ha!” laughed Blue Jay and the others as they flew along near the ground watching them. “Look at Doctor Rabbit in his new automobile! Look at him!” they shouted. Then they all laughed again. As they raced along Stubby Woodchuck came out of his house to see the funny sight, and so did Cheepy Chipmunk and Chatty Red Squirrel and Frisky Gray Squirrel and many others.
They all wondered if Jack Rabbit could hold out carrying Doctor Rabbit so far. They thought he must be mighty strong if he could. But when he reached the edge of the woods he stopped and said he would have to give it up. He lay down and panted for a while. By and by he said he hadn’t the least idea that Doctor Rabbit was so heavy. Indeed, he said it seemed as if he was carrying a house on his back by the time he reached the edge of the woods.
Then they talked the matter over and decided they would both walk--or run if they had to. Doctor Rabbit was a good deal worried. He looked out across the Wide Prairie and saw how far it was to Jack Rabbit’s little house. How he did hate to start! Then he had an idea. He saw several small trees out on the Prairie some distance apart. “Say! Jack Rabbit,” said he, “I wonder if there are any holes among the roots of those trees so I could ‘hole up’ [he meant run into a hole] if I had to. I mean if Ki-yi Coyote should get after us.”
“Sure enough!” cried Jack Rabbit. “The rain has washed bare the top roots of every one of those trees and there are two or three holes under every tree!”
Doctor Rabbit looked very straight at Jack Rabbit and said, “Now are you right sure about that?”
“Yes, I am sure,” Jack Rabbit said; “as sure as anything. It happens that I was at every one of those trees just yesterday and I sniffed and snuffed round every one of those holes. I didn’t go into any of them for I don’t like to go into holes. But those holes are certainly there. And if Ki-yi Coyote should get after us when we get pretty well out on the Prairie, you could make for a tree and I’d let him chase me. I’m not much afraid of him because I’ve run away from him many a time.”
“All right,” agreed Doctor Rabbit. “We’ll go straight for the first tree. When we get there we’ll look all around for the least sign of slinky Ki-yi, and if we don’t see anything we’ll move on to the next tree.”
“Sure thing,” Jack Rabbit said; “that will make you as safe as anything.” So they started out. As they hurried along Jack Rabbit said:
“When we leave the last tree we’ll have only a little way to go to my home. It’s just a little farther on beside an oak fence post.”
So they kept going, hoppity, hoppity, hop. And as they went Doctor Rabbit’s courage rose little by little. After all, thought he, perhaps Ki-yi Coyote would not see them.
Even so, he kept a sharp eye out for anything that might be moving in the grass. And he told Jack Rabbit to do the same.
“Indeed I will, sir,” Jack Rabbit answered. “I always do look out. I should say I do! And if Ki-yi Coyote starts up I’ll see him quick as a flash!”
Then they hurried a bit faster because Doctor Rabbit said he wanted to get to the first tree and examine the holes for himself.
Doctor Rabbit and Mr. Jack Rabbit moved across the Wide Prairie and looked about them in every direction. There was a great deal of bunch grass on the Wide Prairie, and this made them very nervous. They knew how easy it would be for Ki-yi Coyote to hide behind one of those bunches of grass until an innocent rabbit came very near.
Doctor Rabbit stopped and said, “I really believe we should keep just as far as possible from every bunch of grass.” Then he jumped backward, because he saw something moving in the grass. But it proved to be nothing but a sunflower; so they walked on.
By and by they came to the first tree, and how glad they were! Doctor Rabbit went into the hole there to look about. After a little time he came out and said a gray squirrel had been there, but it had been a good while before. He said it looked to him like an old house that people had lived in once, but not for a long time. You know how the grass grows up tall in the front yard, and the windows get broken, and the doors creak when you open them, and there is a damp, musty smell in a house. Well, Doctor Rabbit said it was that way in the hole under the tree. Some animal, a gray squirrel, maybe, had lived there, and perhaps some other small animal before the gray squirrel; but they were gone now.
Doctor Rabbit said there was one thing that bothered him a little.
“What’s that?” Friend Jack Rabbit wanted to know. “Why,” replied wise Doctor Rabbit, “I was just thinking that possibly Ki-yi Coyote knows who lived here, and why they are gone. Maybe he made a breakfast of them!”
They didn’t say any more about that part of it, and pretty soon they came to the next tree. Doctor Rabbit went into the hole here, also. He was gone so long that Jack Rabbit began to be quite troubled; but finally Doctor Rabbit came out and said a cottontail rabbit had been in there, but it had been a good while ago. He thought it likely that old Ki-yi Coyote had gobbled up the cottontail who had lived there.
“However,” Doctor Rabbit said, “possibly he got away.” Then he exclaimed, “I surely hope he got away.”
Doctor Rabbit looked into the holes under the other two trees, and said some small animals had once lived in them.
All this naturally made Doctor Rabbit more and more nervous. It looked as if no animal was safe out so far on the Wide Prairie but fleet Jack Rabbit, and even he had to watch out mighty close.
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