Back Aa

Tale of Grumpy Weasel

Close

<h3>XXVI <br/> <br/> HOW GRUMPY HELPED</h3> <p>Grumpy Weasel wondered how Peter Mink was going to get Mr. Snowy Owl out of Pleasant Valley. He had never dreamed that Peter could do it. But as he thought the matter over he remembered that Peter was a good deal bigger than himself.</p> <p>"If I were Peter Mink's size I would give Mr. Snowy Owl the worst punishing he ever had!" Grumpy exclaimed under his breath. "So maybe Peter can do as he claims, after all."</p> <p>"Very well!" Grumpy Weasel told Peter Mink. "This is a bargain. I'll<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[Pg 117]</SPAN></span> help you out of the trap. And you'll rid Pleasant Valley of Mr. Snowy Owl by April Fool's Day."</p> <p>"Agreed!" Peter Mink cried. "And now, how are you going to set me free?"</p> <p>"I'm going to bite your leg off," Grumpy Weasel said cheerfully.</p> <p>"Oh, no! You're not going to do that!" Peter Mink howled. "I don't want you to do that!"</p> <p>"I made a bargain with you," Grumpy Weasel reminded him, "and I intend to carry out my part of it."</p> <p>"Stop a moment," Peter Mink cried. For Grumpy Weasel, with his back arched like a cat's, and his white whiskers twitching, had already taken a step towards him. "If you bite off my leg I'd never be able to get rid of Mr. Snowy Owl."</p> <p>That brought Grumpy Weasel up<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[Pg 118]</SPAN></span> short. He thought deeply for a moment; and then he exclaimed: "I have it! You must bite off your own leg!"</p> <p>But Peter Mink proved a hard one to please.</p> <p>"You don't understand!" he said. "If I lose a leg I know I never could get Mr. Snowy Owl out of the valley."</p> <p>At that Grumpy Weasel lost his temper completely. With a cry of rage he sprang at his cousin, Peter Mink, prisoner though he was. And Grumpy would have buried his white teeth in him except for just one thing. As he leaped forward Peter Mink leaped backward. And in that moment Peter freed himself. He had been caught only by the merest tip of a toe, anyhow. And now he crouched with his back against the bank of the brook, facing Grumpy Weasel with mouth wide open. His meekness had dropped off him like an<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[Pg 119]</SPAN></span> old coat. And Grumpy Weasel knew better than to get within his reach. In fact he turned polite himself, all at once.</p> <p>"There!" he said. "I got you out of the trap, as I had planned to all the time. I knew that if I could make you jump you'd pull your foot loose."</p> <p>Well, Peter Mink hardly believed that. But he thought there was no use of saying so.</p> <p>He was glad enough to escape Farmer Green's hired man's trap without having a dispute over the way it happened.</p> <p>"I hope you'll keep your promise," Grumpy told Peter Mink. "If Mr. Snowy Owl doesn't leave these parts by April Fool's Day I won't like it very well. You know you agreed to get him away from here by that time."</p> <p>"Oh! He'll be gone by then," said Peter Mink lightly. "He always leaves<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[Pg 120]</SPAN></span> at the end of the winter, because he spends his summers in the Far North."</p> <p>When he heard that, Grumpy Weasel was angry as anything.</p> <p>"Then Mr. Owl is likely to be back here next fall," he said quickly.</p> <p>"I dare say," Peter Mink admitted carelessly.</p> <p>Grumpy Weasel backed cautiously away before he said another word. But when he had whisked into a great willow that leaned over Broad Brook he told his cousin what he thought about him.</p> <p>As for Peter Mink—he was nursing his injured paw (in his mouth!) and he said never a word.</p> <h4>THE END</h4> <div class="adbox1"> <h3 class="bt">Little Jack Rabbit Books<br/> <span class="adsm">(Trademark Registered)</span></h3> <p class="ad">By DAVID CORY<br/> Author of "Little Journeys to Happyland"</p> <div class="adsm ad2ln">Colored Wrappers With Text Illustrations.</div> <p>A new and unique series about the furred and feathered little people of the wood and meadow.</p> <p>Children will eagerly follow the doings of little Jack Rabbit, and the clever way in which he escapes from his three enemies, Danny Fox, Mr. Wicked Wolf and Hungry Hawk will delight the youngsters.</p> <ul><li>LITTLE JACK RABBIT'S ADVENTURES</li> <li>LITTLE JACK RABBIT AND DANNY FOX</li> <li>LITTLE JACK RABBIT AND THE SQUIRREL BROTHERS</li> <li>LITTLE JACK RABBIT AND CHIPPY CHIPMUNK</li> <li>LITTLE JACK RABBIT AND THE BIG BROWN BEAR</li> <li>LITTLE JACK RABBIT AND UNCLE JOHN HARE</li> <li>LITTLE JACK RABBIT AND PROFESSOR CROW</li> <li>LITTLE JACK RABBIT AND OLD MAN WEASEL</li> <li>LITTLE JACK RABBIT AND MR. WICKED WOLF</li> <li>LITTLE JACK RABBIT AND HUNGRY HAWK</li> <li>LITTLE JACK RABBIT AND THE POLICEMAN DOG</li> <li>LITTLE JACK RABBIT AND MISS MOUSIE</li> <li>LITTLE JACK RABBIT AND UNCLE LUCKY</li> <li>LITTLE JACK RABBIT AND THE YELLOW DOG TRAMP</li> </ul> <p class="ad ad2ln">GROSSET & DUNLAP, <i>Publishers</i>, NEW YORK</p> </div> <div class="adbox2"> <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/adlogo1.png" width-obs="250" height-obs="221" alt="Ad Logo" title="" /></div> <h3>JOLLY BOOKS FOR LITTLE FOLK</h3> <p><i>Parents of boys and girls from three to eight years of age are assured by the names of such famous authors of children's books as Arthur Scott Bailey, Lillian Elizabeth Roy and David Cory that these little books will prove both entertaining and instructional. They are all bound in cloth with colored endpapers, black and white illustrations and colored wrappers.</i></p> <p><b>TUCK-ME-IN TALES—<i>by Arthur Scott Bailey</i></b></p> <p class="booksum">These delightful stories in which well known birds and insects are the characters are based upon actual natural history facts, and while the youngster eagerly listens to them, a moral foundation of deeper importance is being laid. The complete list of titles in this series is on inside front flap of this wrapper.</p> <p><b>THE LITTLE WASHINGTON BOOKS—<i>by Lillian Elizabeth Roy</i></b></p> <p class="booksum">In these little stories two families of young cousins, all descendants of George Washington, <ins class="correction" title="original reads 'concieve'">conceive</ins> the clever idea of carrying out in their play the dramatic events of Washington's life. Every boy and girl will receive a true and unforgettable picture of the great career of the Father of His Country through the play acting of these ingenious youngsters. See flap of this wrapper for complete list.</p> <p><b>LITTLE JOURNEYS TO HAPPYLAND—<i>by David Cory</i></b></p> <p class="booksum">Children will recognize in these amusing adventures characters they know and love. Mr. Cory is the author of the famous "Little Jack Rabbit" stories and is one of the best known authors of children's books of our times. See flap of this wrapper for complete list of titles.</p> <p class="ad">GROSSET & DUNLAP <i>Publishers</i> <span class="smcap">New York</span></p> </div> <div class="endpapers"> <div class="figcenter"> <SPAN href="images/backendpapers-lg.jpg"> <ANTIMG src="images/backendpapers.jpg" width-obs="480" height-obs="346" alt="Back Endpapers" title="Back Endpapers" /></SPAN></div> </div> <div class="tr">Transcriber's Note: Three color plates in this e-book were missing/not included in the book from which it was transcribed. These illustrations (Grumpy Weasel and Jimmy Rabbit Run a Race, Grumpy Weasel Visits the Corncrib, and Sandy Chipmunk Runs from Grumpy Weasel) have been taken from the Internet Archive's copy of the book.<br/> The IA version itself lacks two of the illustrations found in this copy: Grumpy Nearly Catches Paddy Muskrat and Grumpy Calls on Mrs. Hen.<br/><br/> The List of Illustrations following the Table of Contents was added by the transcriber.<br/><br/> Some minor corrections were also made. These are underlined with a <ins class="correction" title="original reads ...">thin dotted line</ins>—hovering your cursor over them will show a transcriber's note explaining the correction.</div> <div style="break-after:column;"></div><br />

1 of 2

2 of 2