On the morning of his great race with Mr. Turtle, Jimmy Rabbit was at
the creek bright and early. He brought his two brothers with him, to see
the fun. And he found that there were others, too, who had heard of the
sport and had come to enjoy it. Frisky Squirrel was there, and Billy
Woodchuck, and Fatty Coon. Then there was old Mr. Crow, who was always
on hand whenever a crowd gathered. And perhaps the pleasantest and most
interested of all was Tommy Fox.
"I hope you'll let me have a ride on your new sled when the first snow
comes," he said to Jimmy Rabbit. "For, of course, you'll win the race.
And Mr. Turtle will have to give you the sled, as he promised."
"I'll see," said Jimmy. And that was all the answer he would give.
But Tommy Fox seemed satisfied.
"I'm going to run along beside you," he told Jimmy, "to keep you
company. And I'll wait at Broad Brook with you, to see the fun when Mr.
Turtle gets there. For everyone knows that you're going to win the
race."
"I fully expect to," said Jimmy.
Then Tommy drew a line in the sand.
"Here's where you start!" he said.
And Mr. Turtle and Jimmy Rabbit toed the mark.
"One, two, three--go!" cried Tommy Fox. And with that they were off. In
no time at all Jimmy Rabbit had run so far that Mr. Turtle lost sight of
him.
"Just as I expected!" Tommy Fox said to Jimmy Rabbit. They were in the
woods now, and not far from Broad Brook. "There's no need of hurrying,"
Tommy remarked. "You can reach the brook quickly enough. It will be late
in the afternoon before Mr. Turtle gets this far. I see you're a little
out of breath. Why don't you lie down and rest? I'd take a nap, if I
were you. And I'll wake you in time for you to win the race."
"That's a good idea," Jimmy Rabbit said. "I'll do it!" And he lay down
on the ground and went to sleep.
Late in the afternoon there were as many people at Broad Brook to see
the finish of the race as there had been at the creek in the morning to
watch the start.
"I don't see where Jimmy can be," said Frisky Squirrel. "His brothers
are both here--and they can't run as fast as he can." But no one seemed
to know what had become of Jimmy Rabbit.
"I'm afraid he's going to lose his wheelbarrow," Tommy Fox finally said.
"If he loses the race, he'll have to give his wheelbarrow to Mr. Turtle,
just as he promised." And Tommy didn't seem at all sorry at such a
thought.
"I hear some one coming!" Billy Woodchuck cried a little later. He had
very sharp ears.
"And I can _see_ somebody!" Fatty Coon exclaimed. _He_ had very sharp
eyes.
And sure enough! Pretty soon they all saw Mr. Turtle waddle out of the
woods and hurry toward them.
Tommy Fox began to dance and sing.
"He's going to win! He's going to win!" he said, over and over again.
And it certainly did look as if that was just what was going to happen.
Tommy drew a mark in the sand near the brook. "As soon as he crosses
this line, he'll win the race!" he shouted.
The two Rabbit boys stepped across the line and waited.
"Your brother is just as good as beaten," Tommy Fox told them. You see,
he had never been near Jimmy Rabbit to wake him, as he had agreed. Of
course, he had never intended to wake him.
Then Mr. Turtle crossed the line.
"You've won!" Tommy exclaimed. And he was so pleased that he gave Mr.
Turtle a good, hard slap on the back. "Ouch!" Tommy said. There was a
look of pain on his face. He had forgotten that Mr. Turtle had such a
hard back.
"Who's won?" one of the Rabbit brothers asked.
"Why, Mr. Turtle!" said Tommy Fox.
"That," said the Rabbit boy, "that is just where you are mistaken, sir.
Jimmy Rabbit has won the race--for _I_ am Jimmy Rabbit."
For a moment there was silence. And then a great shout went up. For they
all saw that it was Jimmy Rabbit himself, dressed like one of his
brothers.
But Tommy Fox did not shout at all. He was very angry. "There's been
some trick played on us," he said.
"Where's my sled, Mr. Turtle?" Jimmy Rabbit asked. He turned around. But
Mr. Turtle had vanished. He had jumped into the brook and swum away.
So Jimmy Rabbit did not get the sled after all. But he was so pleased
over the way he had outwitted Tommy Fox that he didn't care very much.
And all his friends said that he was not only a fast runner, but a very
clever fellow as well.
[Illustration: 9 Playing Leap-Frog]
9