Doctor Rabbit came up jumping and dancing and laughing. He was certainly very much tickled about something, that was plain.

“Good morning, my friends,” he said finally. “I suppose you all have come out here to see what Chatty Squirrel is scolding about. Has he told you?”

“Yes, yes, about Ki-yi Coyote!” they all said together.

“Well,” Doctor Rabbit said, and he laughed again, “I gave old Ki-yi the slip pretty easily that time. Indeed I did, and Chatty Squirrel and I certainly did fool him! I guess we did fool him! Ha, ha, ha!” And Doctor Rabbit was so tickled he just had to hold his sides when he remembered how Ki-yi Coyote[Pg 60] had jumped, and how puzzled he had looked when the stone hit him.

“The last I saw of him,” Doctor Rabbit said, “he was sneaking along the Wide Prairie at the edge of the woods, looking for Jack Rabbit; and he was mumbling to himself and saying he was going to get me and Jack Rabbit too. But I’ll take care of that. He thinks I’m not smart enough for him, but just let him wait and see! When I ran away from him and got into the briar patch, he shouted in at me and said:

“‘All right for this time, Doctor Rabbit, but I’ll get you the next time, and some of your friends, too. In fact, I think I like the Big Green Woods, and I’m going to live here. Perhaps I’ll live here right along!’”

Dr. Rabbit ... was certainly tickled about something

That troubled everybody but Doctor Rabbit. All the other little creatures of[Pg 61] the Big Green Woods looked seriously at one another, and Stubby Woodchuck climbed up on a stump and looked nervously around. “I wish we could drive Ki-yi Coyote ten ............