the next day all the little creatures of the big green woods talked of nothing but fierce ki-yi coyote. they wondered how doctor rabbit ever would drive him out of the wide prairie. they were all unusually careful, of course, because they did not know what moment ki-yi coyote might come tearing along.
stubby woodchuck was afraid to get up on his stump to sun himself. he only put his head a little way out of his door and looked around. cheepy chipmunk was frisking around his stump and, seeing his neighbor, stubby woodchuck, he called out, “come on over, friend stubby. i have some fine vegetables for breakfast!”
[pg 65]“no, thank you,” stubby woodchuck said from his doorway. “we had all better keep indoors until that dreadful ki-yi coyote leaves the woods entirely,” and stubby closed his door and went back into his kitchen, for he had not had his breakfast.
while cheepy chipmunk was frisking around he got a terrible scare. he had just jumped up on his stump when he was sure he saw ki-yi’s long tail showing from behind a near-by tree. poor cheepy fell off backward, he was so scared. he picked himself up as fast as he could, but when he looked again, he saw it was only chatty red squirrel’s tail, blowing from behind the tree.
“cheer! cheer! cheer!” shouted blue jay, who had seen cheepy chipmunk fall off the stump. “what’s the matter, cheepy? ha, ha, ha!”
[pg 66]“you’d better go and attend to your business, if you have any,” retorted cheepy chipmunk angrily. but saucy blue jay only laughed again. he understood cheepy chipmunk, and he knew he would not stay angry very long.
“i’ll wager anything you fell because you thought you saw ki-yi coyote,” shouted saucy blue jay; “i’m going out to see where he is!” and away he flew.
cheepy chipmunk went inside, where mrs. chipmunk was getting the vegetables ready for breakfast. little jimmy chipmunk, cheepy and mrs. cheepy’s small son, was running around after his mother as she worked, and asking her questions. he had never seen ki-yi coyote, and so had no idea about his size. “mamma,” he asked, “is ki-yi coyote as big as one of farmer roe’s horses?”
[pg 67]“why, of course not,” mother chipmunk answered. “but he’s big enough, and fierce enough too, for that matter; and for the present you must not so much as poke your nose outside the door.”
“will doctor rabbit find some way to drive ki-yi coyote out of the big green woods?” jimmy chipmunk asked.
“i believe he will; i do hope so,” mother chipmunk said. she was a good deal worried about jimmy chipmunk, because he was so often careless, and went out without telling her a thing about it.
“i wish,” said jimmy, crossly, “that old ki-yi would fall down a well so deep he never could climb out again. i just hate to stay in the house. i want to go over right now and play with johnny woodchuck. i told him i’d come this morning.”
[pg 68]“i wouldn’t let you go for the world,” mother chipmunk said; and then, very quietly, she slipped out at the back door and climbed up on the stump. but the minute she got up on the stump she nearly fell off backward, she was so scared. you see, mother chipmunk’s near neighbor climbed up on her stump at the very same time, and they were both so surprised to see each other that they were dreadfully frightened.
“my sakes alive!” sophy woodchuck’s voice trembled. “how you did frighten me, neighbor chipmunk! i suppose we all are pretty easily frightened at this time. one never knows when that terrible ki-yi coyote will spring out and make an end of us!”
“i have great faith in doctor rabbit,” mother chipmunk said. she had overheard what doctor rabbit had promised[pg 69] the day before. “he told us yesterday,” she continued, “that he will drive ki-yi coyote clear out of the big green woods and clear out of the wide prairie.”
“i wonder how in the world he will do it!” sophy woodchuck said.
“i haven’t the slightest idea,” her neighbor replied.
“well,” sophy woodchuck said, “we don’t care how he does it, so long as the thing is done.”
“no, indeed!” mother chipmunk exclaimed. “if only ki-yi coyote is driven away.”