XI. WHEN OLD MR. HARE BECAME A TURNCOAT
|TURNCOAT isn't considered a very nice name to call any one. You see, itis supposed to mean one who has turned traitor, as it were; has been onone side and gone over to the other side. If a soldier who is fightingfor France should go over to the German army and fight for Germanyagainst France, he would be a turncoat. Benedict Arnold, of whom youhave read in history, was a turncoat. But the meaning isn't always bad.Just take the case of Jumper the Hare. In summer he wears a coat ofbrown, but in winter he wears a coat of white, the white of the puredriven snow. So you see he is a turncoat, but in his case it doesn'tmean anything bad at all. On the contrary, it means something rathernice and very interesting.
Now you know Jumper is the cousin of Peter Rabbit and looks very muchlike Peter, save that he is very much larger and has longer hind legsand longer ears. But Peter wears the same little homely brown coat inwinter that he does in summer, the only difference being that it isthicker and so warmer. I am afraid that Peter has sometimes let a littleenvy creep into his heart when he has met his cousin wearing a coat ofpure white. Be that as it may, Peter puzzled over the matter a greatdeal until he found out from Grandfather Frog how it happens that Jumperhas such a lovely winter coat.
It happened one evening in early June, when Peter was hopping along downthe Lone Little Path through the Green Forest, that he met Jumper andstopped to gossip for a few minutes. He had not seen Jumper since gentleSister South. Wind had swept away the last of the winter snow. ThenJumper's coat had been white; now it was brown. This reminded Peter thathe never had been able to tease Jumper into telling him how he couldchange his coat that way. None of Peter's other friends of the winterseemed to know, for he had asked all of them, and each had told himto ask Grandfather Frog. Of course, Peter couldn't do that in winterbecause Grandfather Frog was then fast asleep in the mud at the bottomof the Smiling Pool. With the coming of spring he had forgotten allabout the matter. Now at the sight of Jumper once more, it all came backto him.
When Peter and Jumper parted, Peter started for the Smiling Pool,lip-perty-lipperty-lip. He arrived there quite out of breath.Grandfather Frog smiled a big, broad smile. Before Peter could say aword Grandfather Frog spoke.
"If you will catch a foolish green fly for me, Peter, Ill tell you thestory," said he.
For a full minute Peter couldn't find his tongue, he was so surprised."How do you know what story I want?" he stammered at last.
"I don't know, but that doesn't make any difference," repliedGrandfather Frog. "Catch me a foolish green fly, and I'll tell you anystory you want."
"But--but--but I can't catch foolish green flies," cried Peter. "I wouldif I could, but I can't, and you know I can't."
"You can try," replied Grandfather Frog gruffly, but with a twinkle inhis eyes which Peter didn't see.
Peter hesitated. Then suddenly he shut his lips in a way that meantthat he had made up his mind to something. He looked this way and thatway. Whichever way he looked he saw foolish green flies flitting about.He jumped for one and missed it. He jumped for another and missed it.It was the beginning of such a funny performance that Grandfather Frognearly rolled off his big green lily-pad with laughter. Peter raced andjumped this way and that way on the banks of the Smiling Pool as if hehad gone quite crazy, and at last in his excitement jumped right intothe Smiling Pool itself after a foolish green fly. But not one did hecatch.
As he crawled out of the water, looking forlorn enough, Grandfather Frogtook pity on him. "Chug-a-rum!" said he. "Lie down there in the sun anddry off, Peter, and I'll tell you the story."
"But I haven't caught you a foolish green fly!" exclaimed Peter.
"No, but you've tried, and willingness to try is just as deservingof reward as successful effort. Now what was it you wanted to know?"replied Grandfather Frog.
"If you please, I want to know how it is that my cousin, Jumper theHare, happens to have a white coat in winter. It seems to me verycurious," replied Peter.
"A long time ago, in the beginning of things," began Grandfather Frog,"Old Mother Nature gave the first Hare a brown coat and turned him outinto the Great World to shift for himself, just as she had done withall the other animals. That was a very easy matter for old Mr. Hare, whowasn't old then, of course. You see, those were good times with plentyfor all to eat without trying to eat each other. Mr. Hare was verybashful, and like most bashful people he liked to be by himself. So hemade his home in the most lonely part of the Green Forest and was veryhappy and contented for a long time.
"Now being alone so much made him very timid, ready to jump and run atthe least unusual sound, and this, it happens, proved to be a very goodthing for Mr. Hare. You see, being by himself that way, he had plenty toeat even after the hard times of which you have-heard had begun. So hewas in splendid condition, was Mr. Hare, even after some of the otherlittle people had begun to grow thin because of lack of food. One dayMr. Lynx happened to stray to that part of the Green Forest where Mr.Hare was living. He saw Mr. Hare before Mr. Hare saw him. He licked hislips hungrily. 'Ha!' thought he, 'this is where I get a good dinner.'
"With this he began to creep ever so softly towards Mr. Hare. Butcareful as he was, he stepped on a tiny stick and it snapped. Instantlyaway went Mr. Hare without stopping to see what had made the noise. Thatwas because he had grown so timid from living so much alone. Then Mr.Lynx made a mistake. With a yell he started after Mr. Hare, and so Mr.Hare learned that it was no longer safe to trust his neighbors. Mr. Lynxdidn't catch Mr. Hare, because Mr. Hare was too swift of foot for him,but he gave him such a scare was that Mr. Hare was more timid than ever.
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"Others tried to catch him, and, little by little, Mr. Hare learned thathe must always be on the watch, and that safety lay in two things--hislong legs and his brown coat. He learned about the latter by beingsurprised once by Mr. Wolf. He knew that Mr. Wolf didn't see him as hecrouched among the brown leaves. For once he was too frightened to run,Mr. Wolf was so close to him, and this, as it happened, was a very goodthing. Mr. Wolf trotted right past without seeing him or smelling him.
"After that Mr. Hare tried that trick often, for he was smart, was Mr.Hare. When he suspected that he had been seen he ran, but when he feltsure that he hadn't been seen, he sat tight right where he happened tobe. But when the first snow came, Mr. Hare found himself in a peck oftrouble. He didn't dare sit still when an enemy was near, because hisbrown coat stood out so against the white snow, and when he ran it wasan easy matter to keep him in sight. One day he was squatting under asnow-covered hemlock bough when he was startled by the howl of Mr. Wolfnot far away. In his fright he jumped up, and the next thing he knewdown came the snow from the bough all over him. Then, to his dismay, hesaw Mr. Lynx not two jumps away. He sat still from force of habit. Mr.Lynx didn't see him; he went right past Presently Mr. Wolf came along,and he went right past.
"Mr. Hare was puzzled. Then he just happened to glance at his coat. Hewas white with snow from head to foot! Then he understood, and a greatidea popped into his head. If only he could have a brown coat in summerand a white coat in winter, he felt sure that he could take care ofhimself. He thought about it a great deal. Finally he screwed up hiscourage and went to Old Mother Nature. He told her all about how hehad learned to sit tight when he wasn't seen, but that it didn't alwayssucceed when there was snow on the ground. Then he told her how Mr. Lynxand Mr. Wolf had run right past him the time he was covered with snow.Very timidly he asked Old Mother Nature if she thought it possible thathe might have a white coat in winter. Old Mother Nature said that shewould think about it. It was almost the end of winter then, and heheard nothing from Old Mother Nature. With the coming of summer he quiteforgot his request. But Old Mother Nature didn't. She kept an eye on Mr.Hare and she saw how timid he was and how he was in constant danger fromhis hungry neighbors. With the beginning of the next winter, Mr. Harediscovered one day that his coat was turning white. He watched it day byday and saw it grow whiter and whiter until it wa
s as white as thesnow itself. Then he knew that Old Mother Nature had not forgotten hisrequest and at once hastened to thank her. And from that day to this,the Hares have had brown coats in summer and white coats in winter,"concluded Grandfather Frog.
"Oh, thank you, Grandfather Frog," cried Peter with a little sigh ofcontentment. "I--I wish I could catch a foolish green fly for you."
"I'll take the will for the deed, Peter," replied Grandfather Frog. Andhe suddenly snapped up a foolish green fly that flew too near.