A strange man had come to stay at Farmer Green's house. It was Jasper
Jay who brought the news into the woods.
"He doesn't seem to work with Farmer Green, or the hired man, either,"
said Jasper. "When I first saw him he was sitting on the bank of the
river, under a great, brown umbrella. But what he was doing I couldn't
make out."
When Jimmy Rabbit heard that, he knew at once that he wouldn't be able
to sleep a wink that night unless he found out exactly what the strange
man was about. So he went off toward Swift River with a skip and a hop.
He was always like that. Whenever there was a new sight to be seen,
Jimmy Rabbit was sure to be among the first to see it.
He had no trouble in finding what he was looking for. There on the river
bank was a huge umbrella. Jimmy was sure it was the biggest one in the
world. And under the umbrella sat the strange man. In one hand he
grasped a queerly shaped board, and a number of sticks; and in the other
he held one of the sticks, with which he kept dabbing at a big, flat
thing that stood in front of him.
Jimmy Rabbit was puzzled. He stole nearer. And at last he had crept so
close that when he stood on his hind legs he could see what the man was
working at.
To his great surprise, he discovered that Swift River was rushing and
tumbling across the big, flat object which was propped upright in front
of the stranger.
Jimmy couldn't understand it. Was the man fishing? he wondered. And how
had he managed to get Swift River out of its banks like that?
Jimmy Rabbit began to think that the strange man had used magic. Why, he
wasn't even wet!
And Jimmy turned and ran back home. If he hadn't happened to meet Mr.
Crow, probably he would never have known to this day what that man was
doing.
But Mr. Crow knew right away.
"That wasn't really Swift River that you saw in front of him. It was
just something that looked like it.... Haven't you ever seen a picture?"
Mr. Crow asked.
Jimmy Rabbit had to admit that he had never had that pleasure.
"Well!" said Mr. Crow. "I can tell you where you can see better pictures
than that man can make. He only paints rivers and mountains, and lakes.
But down at Farmer Green's, all over the front of the barn, you'll find
the most beautiful pictures anyone could ask for. You'll see ladies
riding on horses--standing up, mind you! And you'll see men perched one
on top of another until they reach the clouds. And animals! There are
the oddest looking animals--different from anything you ever saw in
these woods."
"I'm going right down there," Jimmy Rabbit said. "I'm very glad to have
met you, Mr. Crow. And thank you, very much!" It was not often that
Jimmy was so polite.
He was almost afraid that Mr. Crow was playing some trick on him. But it
was all just as Mr. Crow had said--only ten times more wonderful. And
Jimmy Rabbit made up his mind, before he came away from Farmer Green's
barn, that he wanted to make pictures himself.
Mr. Crow had said that the strange man, who made the picture of Swift
River, was an artist. Well, Jimmy intended to begin to be an artist the
very next day. And he was so grateful to Mr. Crow for explaining
everything to him that he decided he would do something specially nice
for the old gentleman.
And all at once a happy thought came into Jimmy's head. He would make a
picture of Mr. Crow!
[Illustration]
[Illustration: 13 Mr. Crow's Picture]
13