you remember how doctor rabbit looked out of a hole and told farmer roe’s dog yappy about catching jack rabbit. well, after yappy had run away and was out of sight in the woods, doctor rabbit concluded he’d better see jack rabbit right away. so he slipped quietly out of his house and ran through the woods toward the wide prairie.
doctor rabbit was lucky, because jack rabbit happened to be right on the edge of the woods. and jack rabbit said his son billy was very much better. “i am very grateful,” continued jack rabbit, “and i wish i could do something now to make you as happy as i am.”
[pg 78]“you certainly can,” doctor rabbit said. “do you remember the day ki-yi coyote chased us out on the wide prairie, and i threw the medicine in his mouth?”
“i certainly do,” said jack rabbit. “and when we got safely over to your house, you said you were thinking about a plan to drive ki-yi coyote clear away from the big green woods and the wide prairie forever. is that what you want me to do?”
“yes,” said doctor rabbit, “that’s exactly what i was going to speak about. i want you to help me. will you do it?”
“why,” declared jack rabbit, “i should say i will, if i can. but how can i help? all you need to do is to tell me what to do and i will do it.”
“don’t be too sure you will,” doctor rabbit warned in a friendly way.[pg 79] “what i want you to do has some danger in it. are you much afraid of farmer roe’s yappy?”
“why, why, of course,” jack rabbit hesitated; “that is, i—i—wouldn’t want to fight him!”
“ha, ha, ha!” doctor rabbit couldn’t keep from laughing at the idea of jack rabbit’s fighting yappy.
“i don’t want you to fight him,” doctor rabbit said, “but would you be willing to let him chase you?”
“surely,” exclaimed jack rabbit quickly. “i’ve given him the slip many a time.”
“suppose,” said doctor rabbit, “that yappy and one of his dog friends both should get after you, could you get away?”
“yes, sir,” jack rabbit said; “i’ve given both of those hounds the slip.[pg 80] they are just fox hounds, and i’m not the least bit afraid when they get after me. but what has that to do with driving ki-yi coyote away?”
mr. jack rabbit began to dance a little jig of joy
“just this,” said doctor rabbit, moving a little closer. “at nine o’clock to-morrow morning ki-yi coyote is going to be right under that big elm where he was this morning, to catch me. chatty squirrel heard him say he was. he said, ‘yes, i’ll come every morning and hide there until i do catch that big fat rabbit’—meaning me, of course.”
“oh, i see! i see!” laughed jack rabbit, and he began to dance a little jig of joy. “i know what you want me to do,” jack rabbit laughed. “you want me to let big old yappy and his friend get after me, and then you want me to run straight for that big elm, and so lead yappy and the other hound[pg 81] right onto old ki-yi. and then they will chase him instead of me!”
“that’s it! that’s it!” said doctor rabbit. he was mighty glad that jack rabbit did not seem at all afraid. “and,” doctor rabbit continued, “when yappy and his companion once see ki-yi coyote, they will forget all about you, and you can get away as easily as anything.”
“oh, ho, ho, ho! ha, ha, ha!” laughed jack rabbit. it seemed too good to be true that they could fool crafty ki-yi, and fool him so completely. old ki-yi, who was always getting the best of things, would now get some of the other side. so thought happy jack-rabbit.
“that certainly will be mighty fine!” cried jack rabbit. “ki-yi coyote will be there, smacking his lips, all ready to gobble you up; and the first thing he[pg 82] knows, i’ll pop square over him, and the next second, yappy will pop square onto him, if he doesn’t move mighty quick. ho, ho, ho!” jack rabbit danced and laughed some more. “yes, indeed, doctor rabbit,” he said, “i’ll surely be at the tree in the wide prairie to-morrow morning at nine o’clock. then be sure to tell all the little creatures of the big green woods to watch and see what happens.”
“i will indeed,” said doctor rabbit, as he started off; “and thank you,” he said, “for your bravery.”