JUMPER THE HARE HAS A BAD HOUR
When once you start a thing to do
Keep at it ’til you see it through.
_Billy Mink._
When that little white mound under the hemlock tree suddenly came to
life Billy had been surprised. He had known that Jumper the Hare was
very near because he had smelled him. But there had been so many little
white mounds all about that Billy had paid no special attention to this
particular one. As Jumper bounded away Billy Mink chuckled.
“He fooled me that time,” muttered Billy. “Jumper certainly fooled me
that time. If that wandering Little Night Breeze had not brought the
smell of him to me, I would have gone straight on without once
suspecting that Jumper was anywhere about. That white coat of his is
worth a whole lot to him. I don’t doubt he saw me all the time and was
laughing to himself as he saw me go past. Well, he laughs best who
laughs last. It is a long time since I have had a good run through the
Green Forest, and I don’t know of any one who can give me a better run
than Jumper the Hare.”
So Billy Mink started after Jumper, his nose to the snow, following the
scent Jumper couldn’t help leaving. Now Jumper can run much faster than
Billy Mink. You know, when he is really frightened, Jumper travels in
big leaps. That is how he comes by his name of Jumper. But if Jumper can
travel fast, Billy Mink can travel tirelessly, and so right from the
start Jumper was worried.
Jumper was worried because he knew that there was not a single place in
all the Green Forest where Billy Mink could not follow him. Had it been
Old Man Coyote or Reddy Fox in Billy Mink’s place, Jumper would not have
been nearly so worried. Either of them could run faster than Billy Mink,
but there were plenty of places in the Green Forest where neither Old
Man Coyote nor Reddy Fox could get at Jumper. You see, there were brush
piles under which Jumper could crawl but they could not. But Billy Mink
was so small that he could follow wherever Jumper might go, and poor
Jumper was worried. His one chance was to make Billy Mink lose his
trail.
So Jumper tried all the tricks he knew. He made his jumps just as long
as he could, hoping that Billy would lose the scent in between. Round
and round through the Green Forest Jumper ran. Every little while he
would sit down to rest, but he never had a chance to rest long. In a few
minutes a slim brown form would come in sight, running easily and as if
not at all tired. Then in a panic Jumper would bound away again.
Now when Jumper ran he ran so fast that he soon grew tired. This was
because he was so frightened. Billy Mink, on the other hand, ran easily
and did not get at all tired. Billy was enjoying that hunt. It was fun
to work out that trail where Jumper tried to mix it up. So, for an hour
Billy Mink followed Jumper and had a good time, but it was a bad hour
for Jumper.