VI. WHEN MR. MOOSE LOST HIS HORNS
|PETER RABBIT had just seen Flathorns the Moose for the first time, andPeter was having hard work to believe that there wasn't something thematter with his eyes. Indeed they looked as if something was the matterwith them, for they seemed about to pop right out of his head. If anyone had _told_ Peter that any one as big as Flathorns lived in the GreatWoods, he wouldn't have believed it, but now that he had _seen_ that itwas so, he just had to believe. So Peter sat with his eyes popping outand his mouth gaping wide open in the most foolish way as he stared inthe direction in which Flathorns had gone.
"Big, isn't he?"
Peter looked up to see Blacky the Crow in the top of a birch-tree justat one side, and Blacky, too, was looking after Flathorns. Then Blackylooked down at Peter and began to laugh. "Don't try to swallow him,Peter!" said he.
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Peter closed his mouth with a snap.
"My, but he _is_ big!" he exclaimed. "I never felt so small in all mylife as when I first caught sight of him. What queer horns he has!I suppose they are horns, for he carries them on his head just asLightfoot the Deer does his. They are so big I should think they wouldmake his head ache."
"Perhaps they do, and that is why he drops them every spring and grows anew pair during the summer," replied Blacky.
"Drops them! Drops those great horns and grows new ones in a singlesummer! Do you mean to tell me that hard things like those horns grow?And what do you mean by saying that he drops them every spring? Why, Isaw him banging them against a tree just now, and I guess if they everwere coming off they would have come off then. You can't fool me withany such story as that, Blacky!"
"Have it your own way, Peter," replied Blacky. "Some people never canbelieve a thing until they see it with their own eyes. All I've got tosay is just keep an eye on Flathorns in the spring and then rememberwhat I've told you." Before Peter could reply Blacky had spread hiswings, and with a harsh "Caw, caw, caw," had flown away.
Of course, after that Peter was very very curious about Flathorns the
Moose, and he just ached all over to ask about those horns. But everytime he saw them the idea that they ever would or could come off seemedso impossible that he held his tongue. You see, he didn't want to belaughed at. So the winter passed, and Peter was no wiser than before.Then the spring came, and one never-to-be-forgotten day Peter washurrying along, lipperty-lipperty-lip, when right in front of him laysomething that made him stop short and stare even harder than he hadstared the first time he saw Flat-horns. What was it? Why, it was oneof those very horns he had thought so much about! Yes, Sir, that is justwhat it was.
Even then Peter couldn't believe it was so. He couldn't believe it untilhe had hunted up Flathorns himself and seen with his own eyes thatthere were no longer any horns on that great head. Then Peter _had_ tobelieve. It seemed to Peter the strangest thing he ever had heard of.There must be a reason, and if there were, Grandfather Frog would besure to know it. So every day Peter visited the Smiling Pool to see ifGrandfather Frog had wakened from his long winter sleep. At last one dayhe found him and could hardly wait to tell him how glad he was to seehim once more and to be properly polite before he asked him about thosehorns of Flat-horns the Moose.
"Chug-a-rum!" said Grandfather Frog. "It's pretty early in the season tobe asking me for a story, but seeing it is you, Peter, and that you'vewaited all winter for it, I'll tell it to you. Way, way back inthe days when the world was young, the first Moose, thegreat-great-ever-so-great-grandfather of Flathorns, was the biggest ofall the animals in the Green Forest, but he had no horns, and he wassuch a homely fellow that everybody laughed at him and made fun of him.Now nothing hurts quite so much as being laughed at."
"I know," interrupted Peter.
"Mr. Moose felt so badly about it that he used to hide away and keep outof sight all he possibly could," continued Grandfather Frog. "Big as hewas and strong as he was, he would turn and run away to hide fromeven such little people as Mr. Skunk and Mr. Squirrel and yourever-so-great-grand-father, Mr. Rabbit. He just couldn't bear to belaughed at. Old Mother Nature kept her eye on him and at last she tookpity on him and crowned his head with the most wonderful horns, horns sobig that no one smaller than Mr. Moose could possibly have carried them.
"Then Mr. Moose threw up his head and carried it proudly, for now no onelaughed at him. He marched through the Great Woods boldly, and evenold King Bear, who was king no longer, stepped aside respectfully. Thenpride entered into Mr. Moose; pride in his wonderful horns; pride inhis great strength. He feared no one. He beat the bushes with his greathorns and bellowed until the Great Woods rang with his voice, and allthose who had once laughed at him hid in fear. He proclaimed himselfking of the Great Woods, and no one dared to deny it.
"So he came and went when and where he pleased and felt himself everyinch a king and carried his great horns as a crown. One day in thebeginning of the springtime, he came face to face with Old MotherNature. Once he would have bowed to her very humbly, but by now he hadgrown so proud and haughty that instead of stepping aside for her topass, he boldly marched on with his head held high as if he did not seeher. It was Old Mother Nature who stepped aside. She said nothing, butas he passed she reached forth and touched his great horns and they fellfrom his head, and with them fell all his pride and haughtiness. At oncesome of his neighbors who had been hiding near and had seen all that hadhappened began to mock him and make fun of him and laugh at him.
"Then, with his head hung low in shame, did Mr. Moose slink away andhide as he had done in the beginning, and none could find him save OldMother Nature. Very humble was Mr. Moose when she visited him; all hispride was melted away in shame. Old Mother Nature was sorry for him.She promised him that he should have new horns, but that once a year heshould lose his horns lest he should forget and again become over-proudand haughty. So while he kept hidden, the new horns grew and grew untilthey were greater and more wonderful than the ones he had had before.Then Mr. Moose once more came forth, holding his head high and gloryingin his strength, and all his neighbors treated him with the greatestrespect, quite as if he were really king of the Great Woods.
"But he never forgot what Old Mother Nature had said to him, and whenthe spring came, he slipped away and hid lest he should be seen withoutthe glory of his horns, for in his heart he knew that Old Mother Naturewould keep her word. Sure enough, his great horns dropped off, and inhumbleness and patience he waited for new horns to grow. So it was allthe years of his life, and so it has been with his children and hisgrandchildren even to this day, and so it is with Flathorns, and so itwill be with his children. And the Moose family never have forgotten andnever can forget that there is nothing so foolish as pride in personalappearance."
"Is that all?" asked Peter, as Grandfather Frog stopped.
"Isn't that enough?" demanded Grandfather Frog testily. "Just thinkit over a while, and when you are tempted to be proud and haughty justremember the horns of Mr. Moose and what happened to them."
"Thank you ever so much for the story," replied Peter politely as hehopped away. Half way to the dear Old Briar-patch he paused. "It servedold Mr. Moose just right!" he declared to no one in particular. And soit did.