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THE ADVENTURES OF BOB WHITE
By Thornton W. Burgess
Author of "Old Mother West Wind,"
"The Bedtime Story-Books," etc.
With Illustrations by Harrison Cady
Boston: Little, Brown, And Company 1919
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THE ADVENTURES OF BOB WHITE
I. A CHEERFUL WORKER
````A cheery whistle or a song
````Will help the daily work along.=
|The little feathered people of the Green Meadows, the Green Forest andthe Old Orchard learned this long ago, and it is one reason why you willso often find them singing with all their might when they are hard atwork building their homes in the spring. Most of them sing, but thereis one who whistles, and it is such a clear and cheery whistle that itgladdens the hearts of all who hear it. Many and many a time has FarmerBrown's boy stopped to whistle back, and never has he failed to get aresponse.
A handsome little fellow is this whistler. He is dressed in brown, whiteand black, and his name is Bob White. Sometimes he is called a Quailand sometimes a Partridge, but if you should ask him he would tell youpromptly and clearly that he is Bob White, and he answers to no othername. All the other little people know and love him well, most of themfor the cheery sound of his whistle; but a few, like Reddy Fox andRedtail the Hawk, for the good meal he will make them if only they aresmart enough to catch him.
Farmer Brown's boy loves him, not only for his cheerful whistle,but because he has found out that Bob White is a worker as well as awhistler, one of the best workers and greatest helpers on the farm. Yousee, a part of the work of Farmer Brown's boy is to keep down the weedsand destroy the insects that eat up the crops. Now weeds spring up fromseeds. If there were no weed-seeds there would be no weeds. In the sameway, if there were no insect-eggs there would be no insects. But thereare millions and millions of both, and so all summer long Farmer Brown'sboy has to fight the weeds and the insects. He is very thankful for anyhelp he may get, and this is one reason he has become so fond of OldMr. Toad, who helps him keep the garden clear of worms and bugs, and ofTommy Tit the Chickadee and others of the little feathered peoplewho live in the Old Orchard and hunt bugs and their eggs among theapple-trees. You know the surest way of winning friends is to helpothers.
Bob White not only catches worms and bugs, but eats the seeds of weeds,scratching them out where they have hidden in the ground, and fillinghis little crop with them until he just has to fly to the nearest fenceand tell all the world how happy he is to be alive and have a part inthe work of the Great World. Not one of all the little people is ofgreater help to Farmer Brown's boy than Bob White. All the long day heworks, and with him works Mrs. Bob and all the little Bobs, scratchingup weed-seeds here, picking off bugs there, all the time so happy andcheerful that everybody in the neighborhood is happy and cheerful too.The best of it is Bob White is always just that way. You would think henever had a thing in the world to worry about. But he does have. Yes,indeed! Bob White has plenty to worry about, as you shall hear, but henever allows his troubles to interfere with his cheerfulness if he canhelp it.=
```"Bob White! Bob White!" with all his might
````He whistles loud and clear.
```Because no shame e'er hurt his name
```He wants that all shall hear.=
One day Peter Rabbit sat listening to it, and it reminded him that hehadn't called on Bob White for some time, and also that there were somethings about Bob White that he didn't know. He decided that he wouldgo at once to call on Bob and try to satisfy his curiosity. So off hestarted, lipperty-lipperty-lip.
II. BOB WHITE HAS VISITORS
```"Bob White! Bob White! I bid the world good
`````cheer!
```Bob White! Bob White! I whistle loud and clear!"=
|THAT very same morning Bob White had taken it into his head to comeover to live not very far from the dear Old Briar-patch where PeterRabbit lives. Of course, Peter didn't know that Bob had come over thereto live. For that matter, I doubt if Bob White knew it himself. He justhappened over that way and liked it, and so finally he made up his mindto look about there for a place to make his home.
Now Peter Rabbit had known Bob White for a long time. Peter, in hisroaming about, had met Bob a number of times, and they had passed thetime of day. Whenever Peter had heard Bob whistling within a reasonabledistance he had made it a point to call on him. Bob is such a cheeryfellow that somehow Peter always felt better for just a word or twowith him. So when Bob began to whistle that spring morning Peter hurriedover, lipperty-lipperty-lip, to call. He didn't have far to go, forBob was sitting on a fence-post just a little way from the dear OldBriar-patch.
"Good morning," said Peter. "You seem to be very cheerful this morning."
"Why not?" replied Bob White. "I'm always cheerful. It's the only way toget along in this world."
"It must be that you don't have much to worry about," retorted Peter."Now if you had to run for your life as often as I have to, perhaps youwouldn't find it so easy to be always cheerful."
Bob White's bright little eyes twinkled. "The trouble with a lot ofpeople is that they think that no one has worries but themselves," saidhe. "Now there is Reddy Fox coming this way. What do you suppose he iscoming for?"
"For me!" exclaimed Peter promptly, preparing to scamper back to the OldBriar-patch.
"Nothing of the kind," replied Bob White. "Don't think you are soimportant, Peter. He doesn't know you are over here at all. He hasheard me whistling, and he's coming to see if he can't give me a littlesurprise. It's me and not you he is after. What's your hurry, Peter?"
"I--I think I'd better be going; I'll call again when you haven't othervisitors," shouted Peter over his shoulder.
Hardly had Peter reached the dear Old Briar-patch when Reddy Fox reachedthe fence where Bob White was sitting. "Good morning," said he, tryingto make his voice sound as pleasant as he could, "I'm glad to see youover here. I heard you whistling and hurried over here to welcome you. Ihope you will like here so well that you will make your home here."
"That is very nice of you," replied Bob White, his eyes twinkling morethan ever, for he knew why Reddy hoped he would make his home there. Heknew that Reddy hoped to find that home and make a good dinner on Quailsome day. "It is very pleasant over here, and I don't know but I willstay. Everybody seems very neighborly. Peter Rabbit has just called."
Reddy looked about him in a very sly way but with a hungry look in hiseyes as he said, "Peter always is neighborly. Is he anywhere about now?I should like to pay my respects to him."
"No," replied Bob White. "Peter left in something of a hurry. Hello!Here comes Old Man Coyote. People certainly are neighborly here. Why,what's your hurry, Reddy?"
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"I have some important matters to attend to over in the Green Forest,"replied Reddy, with a hasty glance in the direction of Old Man Coyote."I hope I'll see you often, Bob White."
"I hope so," replied Bob White politely, and then added under hisbreath, "but I hope I see you first."
III. BOB DECIDES TO BUILD A HOME
|OLD Man Coyote's call was very much like that of Reddy Fox. He wasvery, very pleasant and told Bob White that he was very glad indeed thatBob had come over on the Green Meadows, and he hoped that he would stay.No one could have been more polite than was Old Man Coyote. Bob Whitewas just as polite, but he wasn't fooled. No, indeed. He knew that, justlike Reddy Fox, the reason Old Man Coyote was so glad to see him wasbecause he hoped to catch him some fine day. But Bob White didn't let alittle thing like that bother him. Ever since he could
remember hehad been hunted. That was why he had taken the precaution to sit on afence-post when he whistled. Up there neither Old Man Coyote nor ReddyFox could reach him. Just after Old Man Coyote left Bob White saw someone else headed his way, and this time he didn't wait. You see it wasRedtail the Hawk, and a fence-post was no place to receive a call fromhim.
Spreading his wings Bob White flew across to the dear Old Briar-patchand dropped in among the brambles close to where Peter Rabbit wassitting. "You didn't expect me to return your call so soon, did you,Peter?" said he.
"No," replied Peter, "but I'm ever so glad to see you just the same. Didyou have a pleasant call from Reddy Fox?"
"Very," replied Bob White with a chuckle. "He was ever so glad to seeme. So was Old Man Coyote. I didn't wait to see what Old Redtail wouldsay, but I have a feeling that he would have liked better to have seenme a little nearer. You see, Peter, you are not the only one who has tokeep his eyes open and his wits about him all the time. There are justas many looking for me as for you, but I don't allow that to make me anythe less cheerful. Every time I whistle 1 know that some one is goingto come looking for me, but I whistle just the same. I just have to,because in spite of all its troubles life is worth living and full ofhappiness. Now I've got a secret to tell you."
"What is it?" asked Peter eagerly. "Promise not to tell a single soul,"commanded Bob White.
"Can't I tell Mrs. Peter? I never keep secrets from her you know,"replied Peter.
"Well, you may tell her, but she must promise to keep it secret," saidBob.
"I'll promise for her and for myself," declared Peter. "What is it?"
"I've decided to come over here to live," replied Bob White.
"Right here in the Old Briar-patch?" asked Peter excitedly.
"No, but not far from here," replied Bob White. "I'm going back tothe Old Pasture after Mrs. Bob, and we are going to build a home rightaway."
"Goody!" cried Peter, clapping his hands. "Where are you going to build?"
"That," replied Bob White, "is for Mrs. Bob to decide."
"And when she does you'll tell me where it is so that I can come overand call, won't you?" cried Peter.
"That depends," replied Bob White. "You know there are some things it isbetter not to know."
"No, I don't know," retorted Peter. "I'm your friend, and I don't seewhat harm it could do for me to know where your home is."
"Without meaning to friends sometimes do the most harm of any one,especially if they talk too much," replied Bob White. "Now the way isclear and I must hurry back to the Old Pasture to tell Mrs. Bob how niceit is here." And with this away he flew.
"Now what did he mean by friends who talk too much," muttered Peter."Could he have meant me?"
IV. BOB WHITE AND PETER BECOME NEIGHBORS
```Who strictly minds his own affairs
````And cheerfully doth labor,
```He is the one whom I would choose
````Always to be my neighbor.=
|THAT is just the kind of a neighbor Peter Rabbit found Bob White to be.Bob and Mrs. Bob had come down from the Old Pasture and built their homenear the dear Old Briar-patch and so become the neighbors of Peter andlittle Mrs. Peter. Bob was very neighborly. He often dropped in to havea chat with Peter, and Peter was always glad to see him, for he is sucha cheerful fellow that Peter always felt better for having him about. Italways is that way with cheerful people. They are just like sunshine.
But though Bob and Mrs. Bob had built their home near Peter, he didn'tknow just where it was. No, Sir, Peter didn't know just where that homeof the Bob Whites was. It wasn't because he didn't try to find out. Oh,my, no! Peter could no more have helped trying to find out than he couldhave helped breathing. That was the curiosity in him. He wasted a greatdeal of time trying to find Bob White's home, all to no purpose. Atfirst he was rather put out because Bob White wouldn't tell him whereit was hidden. But Bob just smiled and told Peter that the reason hewouldn't was because he thought a great deal of Peter and wanted him fora friend always.
"Then," said Peter, "I should think you would tell me where your homeis. There ought not to be secrets between friends. I don't think much ofa friendship that cannot be trusted."
"How would you feel, Peter, if harm came to me and my family throughyou?" asked Bob White.
"Dreadfully," declared Peter. "But do you suppose I would let any harmcome to you? A nice kind of a friend you must think me!"
"No," replied Bob White soberly, "I don't think you would let any harmcome to us if you knew it. But you've lived long enough, Peter, to knowthat there are eyes and ears and noses watching, listening, smellingeverywhere all the time. Now supposing that when you were sure thatnobody saw you, somebody _did_ see you visit my house. Or supposingReddy Fox just happened to run across your tracks and followed them tomy house. It wouldn't be your fault if something dreadful happened tous, yet you would be the cause of it. You remember what I told you theother day, that there are some things it is better not to know."
Peter looked very thoughtful and pulled his whiskers while he turnedthis over in his mind. "That is a new idea to me," said he at last."I never had thought of it before. I certainly never would be able toforgive myself if anything happened to you because of me."
"Of course you wouldn't," replied Bob White. "No more would I ever beable to forgive myself if anything happened to my family because I hadtold some one where my home is."
Peter nodded. "Of course if I should just happen to _find_ your home allby myself, you wouldn't be angry, would you?" he asked.
Bob White laughed. "Of course not," said he. "Just the same I wouldadvise you not to _try_ to find it. Then you will have nothing totrouble your mind if you should be followed, and something dreadful didhappen to me or mine. You see there are just as many who would like tomake a dinner of me as there are who would like to make a dinner of you,and I would a whole lot rather sit on a fence-post and whistle than tofill somebody's stomach."
"And I would a lot rather have you," declared Peter.
V. OTHERS ARE INTERESTED IN BOB WHITE
|PETER RABBIT wasn't the only one who was interested in Bob White and inBob's hidden home. Oh, my, no! It seemed to Peter that Reddy and GrannyFox were prowling around the dear Old Briar-patch most of the time. Atfirst he didn't understand it. "It isn't me they are after, because theyknow well enough that they can't catch me here," said he to himself, ashe watched them one morning. "It isn't Danny Meadow Mouse, because Dannyhasn't been over this way for a long time. I don't see how it can beBob White, because he isn't likely to stay on the ground while they arearound, and they can't catch him unless he is on the ground."
He was so busy trying to puzzle out what should bring Reddy and Grannythat way so often that he neither saw nor heard Jimmy Skunk steal upbehind him.
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"Boo!" said Jimmy, and Peter nearly jumped out of his skin.
"What did you do that for?" demanded Peter indignantly.
"Just to teach you that you shouldn't go to sleep without keeping yourears open," replied Jimmy with a grin.
"I wasn't asleep!" protested Peter crossly. "I was just watching Reddyand Granny Fox and wondering what brings them over here so much."
"You might just as well have been asleep," replied Jimmy. "Supposing Ihad been my cousin, Shadow the Weasel."
Peter shivered at the very thought. Jimmy continued: "You are old enoughto know, Peter, that it isn't safe to be so interested in one thing thatyou forget to watch out for other things. As for Reddy and Granny Fox,you ought to know what brings them over this way so much."
"What?" demanded Peter.
"Hasn't Bob White got a nest somewhere around here?" asked Jimmy by wayof answer.
"Y-e-s," replied Peter slowly, "I suppose he has. But what of that?"
"Why, Reddy and Granny are looking for it, stupid," replied Jimmy.
Peter stared at Jimmy a minute in a puzzled way. "What do they want ofthat?" he asked finally. "They don't eat eggs, do they?"
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br /> "Eggs hatch out into little birds, don't they?" demanded Jimmy. "IfReddy and Granny can find that nest, they'll wait until the eggs havehatched into birds and then, well, I've heard say that there is nothingmore delicious than young Quail. Now, do you see?"
Peter did. Of course he did. He understood perfectly. Reddy and Grannyhad heard Bob White whistling over there every day, and they knew thatmeant that his home wasn't far away. It was all very plain now.
"By the way, you don't happen to know where that nest is, do you?"asked Jimmy carelessly.
"No, I don't!" exclaimed Peter, and suddenly was glad that he didn'tknow about that nest. "What do you want to know for?" he demandedsuspiciously.
"I'm hungry for some eggs," confessed Jimmy frankly.
"You wouldn't rob Mr. and Mrs. Bob White of their eggs, would you?"cried Peter. "I thought better of you than that, Jimmy Skunk."
Jimmy grinned. "Don't get excited, Peter," said he. "I'm told that Mrs.Bob lays a great many eggs, and if that's the case, she wouldn't miss afew."
"Jimmy Skunk, you're horrid, so there!" declared Peter.
"Don't blame me," retorted Jimmy. "Old Mother Nature gave me a tastefor eggs, just as she gave Reddy Fox a taste for Rabbit. You haven't anyidea where that nest is, have you?"
"No, I haven't! If I had, I wouldn't tell you," declared Peter.
"Well, so long," replied Jimmy good-naturedly. "I think I'll have a lookfor it. I don't wish Bob White and his wife the least bit of harm, but Iwould like two or three of those eggs." And with this Jimmy Skunk ambledout to look for Bob White's nest.