At the gypsies' camp Jimmy Rabbit had seen something that was very
interesting. He had watched the gypsies telling fortunes. And he saw no
reason why he should not become a fortune-teller himself. It looked easy
enough. All you had to do was to hold the hand of the person whose
fortune you were telling and say anything that came into your head. And
you were paid for it, too! That was the best part of it all.
As soon as he had eaten the lunch that his mother gave him, Jimmy
skipped away to ask everyone he met if he wanted his fortune told. And
there wasn't a single person who didn't say "Yes!" at once.
"All right!" Jimmy told everybody. "It will cost you one cabbage.... And
you can find me under the big willow near the brook."
"I'll come along with you now," said Fatty Coon. "You can tell my
fortune. And afterward I'll go down to Farmer Green's and get a cabbage
for you."
"That won't do!" said Jimmy. "You'll have to give me the cabbage first."
So Fatty hurried down the hill. Never before had he seen so many of his
neighbors in Farmer Green's garden. And they were all looking for
cabbages. It was quite clear that Jimmy Rabbit was going to be very
busy.
Those who could run the fastest had their fortunes told first, for they
were the ones that reached the big willow the soonest. And Mr. Fox was
the quickest of all.
Jimmy Rabbit looked at Mr. Fox's paw. He wouldn't hold it, as he had
seen the gypsies hold the hands of the people who visited them, for he
never liked to get too near Mr. Fox. But Mr. Fox didn't know the
difference.
"First I'll tell your _past_," Jimmy said.
But Mr. Fox thought there was no sense in doing that. "I know all about
my past," he said.
"Well, I'll tell your present, then," said Jimmy Rabbit.
"Oh, that's silly!" Mr. Fox sneered. "You're telling my
fortune--_that's_ what my present is."
"Your future, then!" Jimmy continued. "I'll tell your future."
"Good!" said Mr. Fox. "That's just what I want."
So Jimmy Rabbit looked at his paw again.
"Beware of a dark man!" he said. "He'll make trouble for you if he can."
"That must be Farmer Green," Mr. Fox remarked. "I shall have to be
careful."
"And I see a spotted person chasing you," said Jimmy.
Mr. Fox shuddered.
"Old dog Spot!" he said. "Hurry and finish! I must be running along."
And he glanced over his shoulder as if he half expected to see Spot come
bounding towards him.
"You are going on a journey," Jimmy Rabbit told him. "You are going to
the other side of Blue Mountain. Beneath the great oak near the lake"
(everybody had heard of the great oak) "when the moon comes up to-night,
you will find the surprise of your life.... That's all!" Jimmy said.
Mr. Fox thought it was well worth one cabbage. And he went off wondering
about that surprise.
Jimmy Rabbit told many fortunes that day. And the last one of all was
Henry Skunk's, because Henry was so slow in coming up the hill from the
garden.
By the time he had reached Henry Skunk, Jimmy could think of nothing new
to say. So he began at the beginning again and told Henry Skunk exactly
what he had said to Mr. Fox.
And Henry seemed just as pleased as Mr. Fox had been.
Then Jimmy waited for some time, because Fatty Coon had not appeared at
all. You see, Fatty had been trying and trying to bring a cabbage up the
hill, to pay for having his fortune told. But before he was half way up
he always grew so hungry that he had to eat the cabbage, and then there
was nothing to do but go back for another. So poor Fatty never had his
fortune told at all.
The next day Jimmy Rabbit heard that Mr. Fox and Henry Skunk had had a
terrible battle on the other side of Blue Mountain, just as the moon
came up. It was said that each thought the other was spying on him.
Jimmy Rabbit was the only person who knew how it had come about. And
_he_ wouldn't tell.
[Illustration]
[Illustration: The Night of the Rabbit's Ball]
[Illustration: 16 Red Leggins]
16