Part 2

That encouraged Friend Jack Rabbit wonderfully. He took a few extra long jumps and managed to get a little farther ahead of Ki-yi Coyote. Of course he didn’t know what Doctor Rabbit was going to do, but Jack Rabbit always had great faith in Doctor Rabbit. So he ran right past the hole under the tree.

Then, just as crafty Ki-yi was going by with his mouth wide open and his tongue hanging out, Doctor Rabbit sprang up and threw a whole bottle of his very nastiest medicine right into Ki-yi’s face!

Well, you should have seen old Ki-yi then. He was more surprised than he ever had been before in his life. And mad! He was about the maddest coyote you ever heard of. His mouth had been wide open, so of course he got most of the medicine there. It tasted so nasty he stopped just a moment to try to get it out of his mouth, but when he found he couldn’t, he started out after Doctor Rabbit. He was angrier than ever, and ran as hard as he could run.

Just as soon as Doctor Rabbit had thrown the bad-tasting medicine in Ki-yi Coyote’s face, he started out for the Big Green Woods as fast as his legs could carry him. Jack Rabbit had dodged over a little hill and was out of sight.

When angry Ki-yi started after him again Doctor Rabbit was already near the Big Green Woods, so he looked back and just laughed and shouted. “Ha, ha, ha!” he laughed. “I guess you’re pretty mad, aren’t you, Mr. Ki-yi? Ha, ha, ha! How do you like the medicine? Is it as good as--as good as _jack rabbit_? Ha, ha, ha!” And with that, Doctor Rabbit bounded into the Big Green Woods, and whisked out of sight.

As Doctor Rabbit ran along, he met Jack Rabbit, who also had managed to get into the woods. They both kept running until they reached Doctor Rabbit’s home in the big tree.

Here tired Jack Rabbit threw himself down on the grass and panted for a long while. He said it was about the hardest race he ever had had in his life, and that he guessed he must be getting old, for he couldn’t run as fast as he used to. But after Doctor Rabbit had brought out some liniment and rubbed him well, Jack Rabbit said he felt better. Then after he had eaten a good dinner with Doctor Rabbit, he said he felt so fine he believed he could run away from Ki-yi Coyote and not half try.

“What I need,” said Jack Rabbit, “is a little of that liniment around the house, so my wife could rub me with it now and then. I believe it would cure my rheumatism.”

“I am quite certain of it,” Doctor Rabbit told him, and he wrapped up a bottle of it right away and gave it to Jack Rabbit to take home with him. After that they sat down and talked.

“I wish,” said Jack Rabbit then, “that there were some way to run Ki-yi Coyote clear out of the Wide Prairie, or some way to get rid of him altogether.”

Doctor Rabbit was leaning against a tree curling his mustache and frowning a little. When he was thinking hard, he usually did frown. “I’ve been thinking about that, Friend Jack Rabbit,” he said, “and I believe I know a way to get rid of crafty Ki-yi, so he’ll never bother us again.”

“You do?” exclaimed Jack Rabbit eagerly, pricking up his long ears. “What is your plan?”

Doctor Rabbit dropped his voice to a whisper and said, “I haven’t thought it all out yet, but I will right soon, and I’ll let you know.” Then he looked through the trees toward the edge of the woods, and pointing one front foot, said:

“Look! look! Ki-yi’s sneaking along out there now!” Jack Rabbit looked quickly, and sure enough, Ki-yi Coyote was slipping along and peering into the woods.

“He doesn’t see us at all,” whispered Jack Rabbit, “and I think I’ll skip out and go while I know where he is. Now, when you decide how you’re going to run him out of the Wide Prairie and get rid of him, let me know, will you?”

“I surely will,” Doctor Rabbit said, “and I’ll have it all thought out by morning.”

Then Jack Rabbit slipped away to tell all his friends and relatives that in some way, he didn’t just yet know how, Doctor Rabbit was going to get rid of Ki-yi Coyote.

KI-YI COYOTE WATCHES FOR DOCTOR RABBIT

It was just as Doctor Rabbit had expected. He had not told Jack Rabbit about it, but that very night Ki-yi Coyote came prowling around, just as Doctor Rabbit thought he would.

Doctor Rabbit was in bed, but he had not gone to sleep, when he heard a noise out in his front yard. Very quietly he put his head out of an upstairs window.

Sure enough! There was slinky Ki-yi walking around out there and mumbling to himself. He was saying, “I know well enough he lives here. I can smell his tracks, and I can smell rabbit, too, as plain as anything. He’s gone to bed now, no doubt, so I’ll hide out here and pay him a call in the morning.”

“He, he, he!” Ki-yi chuckled softly to himself. He was so tickled to think he had found where Doctor Rabbit lived. He thought now it would be easy to surprise Doctor Rabbit and make a breakfast of him.

Only a little distance away flowed the Murmuring Brook, where Doctor Rabbit went every morning for a drink.

There was a path that led from Doctor Rabbit’s house to the brook, and Ki-yi Coyote thought he would hide right beside the path in the bushes. Then when Doctor Rabbit came along in the morning, he could pounce upon him and have him for breakfast.

So sly Ki-yi picked out a good place near the path and lay down to wait until morning.

“I suppose I’ll get pretty tired waiting,” he said, “but a big fat rabbit for breakfast is worth waiting for.” And he smacked his lips at the very thought of it. Then he said, “My! I haven’t tasted rabbit for two whole months. Yes, indeed, I’ll wait right here until morning!” And again Ki-yi smacked his lips.

Now it so happened that Downy Screech Owl was in the tree right above Ki-yi Coyote, and heard what he said.

“Get out of my woods!” Downy Screech Owl cried, in his strange voice.

Old Ki-yi jumped, he was so startled. Then he looked up and saw who it was. “Never mind, Screechy,” he said, in his smoothest voice, “I just came in for a cool drink at the Murmuring Brook and a little nap here.”

“You can’t fool me!” Downy Owl cried back in his very strange voice. “You’re after something, and I know it! I know whom you are after, too. You are after--”

Right here Downy Screech Owl stopped talking. He happened to think he might say something that would get Doctor Rabbit into trouble. So he made up his mind to keep still for the present, and slip over in a little while and tell Doctor Rabbit where Ki-yi Coyote was. You see, Downy Owl didn’t know that Doctor Rabbit was awake. He didn’t know that Ki-yi Coyote had even been seen by anybody else.

Downy Screech Owl waited until Ki-yi Coyote curled himself up, as if for a nap, and then flew around to Doctor Rabbit’s back door and knocked very gently.

Doctor Rabbit opened the door only a very little crack, but when he saw who it was, he let Downy Owl in. And Downy began right away, for he was very much excited: “Ki-yi Coyote is right out there, hiding by the path, waiting for you!” he said.

But to his surprise, Doctor Rabbit answered, “I know it. I’ve been watching him all the time!”

“My, I’m certainly glad you have,” said Downy Screech Owl; “but what are you going to do?”

“Don’t talk so loud!” Doctor Rabbit warned. “I’m going to do this: I’m going to fool old Ki-yi worse than he ever was fooled before in his life. The first joke I play on him will be funny. But the second joke I play on him will take him clear away from the Big Green Woods and the Wide Prairie for good and all.”

“My goodness me!” was all Downy Screech Owl could say, he was so puzzled. “How are you going to play the jokes on sly Ki-yi, and what are the jokes?” he wanted to know.

“Never mind now,” Doctor Rabbit whispered; “you just slip back and see if Ki-yi is still there. If he is, try to keep him there.”

DOCTOR RABBIT CALLS ON CHATTY SQUIRREL

Little Downy Owl flew back to the tree. There was Ki-yi Coyote still lying below on the grass, all curled up just as if he were fast asleep. Downy Screech Owl looked at him for a while and then, out of curiosity, flew down on a limb a little closer. Still Ki-yi Coyote did not move, so Downy Owl flew a little closer. Just then he saw sly Ki-yi move his ear the tiniest bit, and heard him mumble something to himself. Little Downy flew up high in the tree as quick as winking.

“I’ll just wait,” he said very softly to himself, “and if old Ki-yi starts to go away, I’ll talk to him and try to keep him here until I see what Doctor Rabbit is going to do.”

When it was almost morning, Doctor Rabbit got out of bed and peeped out toward the place where Ki-yi had been. Yes, sir! He was still there. Indeed, he was. Doctor Rabbit saw him stretch his head up and look toward the house in the tree.

Doctor Rabbit was so tickled he just laughed to himself. Then he slipped out at his back door and went very quietly through the woods until he came to the tree where Chatty Red Squirrel lived.

Chatty Red was still asleep, but when Doctor Rabbit thumped on the door, he came down to see who was there. When he saw Doctor Rabbit, he said, “Anyone sick over this way, Doctor?”

“No,” said Doctor Rabbit, “I just wanted you to help me out a little.”

“I certainly will, if I can,” Chatty Squirrel said. You see, he had once had the colic very bad, and Doctor Rabbit had come right over and cured him, so he felt deeply grateful. “What do you want me to do?” Chatty asked.

“Well,” Doctor Rabbit said, “first I want to tell you that Ki-yi Coyote is in the Big Green Woods. In fact, he’s hiding near my house this very minute, and expects to make a breakfast of me when I go down to the Murmuring Brook for a drink.”

“Sakes alive!” Chatty exclaimed. “How did you find out?”

Then Doctor Rabbit told him that he had been awake and listening, and that Downy Screech Owl was up in the tree watching Ki-yi, and if necessary would talk to him to keep him there.

“Well, well, well!” exclaimed Chatty Squirrel, rubbing his eyes. He had hardly been awake when Doctor Rabbit knocked on the door, but now he was getting wider awake every minute. “What do you want me to do?” Chatty asked again, with his eyes wide open and very bright.

“First I want to play a joke on him,” said Doctor Rabbit, “and I’ll tell you how to do it. Ki-yi is now right under that big elm tree between my house and the Murmuring Brook. You slip over through the trees as quick as you can and climb up to that old nest Jim Crow used to live in. There’s a stone in the nest that Farmer Roe’s boy threw at you the other day. Do you remember?”

“Indeed I do remember, because Farmer Roe’s boy almost hit me with that stone,” Chatty Squirrel said.

“Very well, then,” said Doctor Rabbit, “you get into that nest and get hold of that stone, and when you have a good chance, drop it down right on Ki-yi Coyote. Then lie flat on the limb and keep perfectly still, so he won’t know where the stone came from.”

“But where are you going to be, and what will you do?” Chatty Squirrel wanted to know. He was very nervous about it.

“You wait and see; I’ll attend to that,” Doctor Rabbit said softly. “And now you hurry along before Ki-yi Coyote decides to go away.”

FOOLING KI-YI COYOTE

Chatty Red Squirrel remembered well enough how Farmer Roe’s boy had thrown that rock up at him a few days before when he had taken refuge in Jim Crow’s old nest.

It so happened that Chatty Squirrel was not much hurt. In fact he was only bruised a little when the stone fell into the nest. But he had been badly scared--indeed he had, because the stone was big enough to do him terrible harm if it had struck him squarely.

Chatty Squirrel thought it would be a mighty fine joke to slip over and drop that stone on Ki-yi Coyote. He naturally hated old Ki-yi as much as anybody, because for breakfast--or just any time--Ki-yi was quite as fond of tender squirrel as he was of fat little rabbit or juicy little owl.

So when Doctor Rabbit slipped away toward a little bridge over the Murmuring Brook, Chatty Squirrel started off through the tree tops toward the big elm under which Ki-yi Coyote lay waiting.

It was just daylight when Chatty Red reached the big elm and got into the old crow’s nest where the stone was. He peeped over the edge of the nest and down. Yes, sir! There was old Ki-yi Coyote! He had his ears pricked up, and he was squinting through the trees toward Doctor Rabbit’s house.

“He’ll come this way now, very soon!” greedy Ki-yi said, and smacked his lips. Chatty heard him, and was so angry he almost scolded out loud. But he didn’t. He kept perfectly still and thought about the stone. Ki-yi Coyote moved a little, and now he was right under the old crow’s nest.

Chatty Red wondered where Doctor Rabbit was, and looked down on the ground and all around, but he couldn’t see him.

“I’ll obey orders, anyway,” Chatty whispered to himself, and he got his nose under the stone and began to work it toward the edge of the nest.

Ki-yi Coyote didn’t know what was going on, of course, so he just lay still, smacked his lips, and kept a sharp eye on Doctor Rabbit’s house.

After a little work, Chatty Squirrel got the stone to the edge of the nest, and then just as Ki-yi Coyote stretched his head a little, Chatty pushed the big stone over. _Kerplunk!_ the stone hit Ki-yi right on the ear! Well, he was about the scaredest coyote that ever was. He yelped and sprang up in the air, and jumped all around.

Then right from the other side of the Murmuring Brook came the voice of Doctor Rabbit. “Ha, ha, ha! Well, well, foxy Ki-yi, what made you jump so? Ha, ha, ha! guess you didn’t know I could throw so straight! Ha, ha, ha!”

Naturally Ki-yi Coyote thought Doctor Rabbit _had_ thrown the stone, and he was terribly angry. Away he started. Yes, sir, he just ground his teeth and said he certainly would get Doctor Rabbit, and get him in a hurry, too. But luckily Murmuring Brook was between them, so Doctor Rabbit laughed and shouted again and darted out of sight in the woods.

KI-YI COYOTE CHASES DOCTOR RABBIT

As soon as Ki-yi Coyote started after Doctor Rabbit, Chatty Squirrel began scolding as hard as he could. Ki-yi was running so fast he didn’t hear, but Chatty scolded anyway. It seemed to relieve his angry feelings.

My! How angry Chatty Squirrel was! He was angrier than he had ever been in all his life before.

“The idea,” Chatty Squirrel scolded, “of Ki-yi Coyote’s coming into the Big Green Woods to make a breakfast of Doctor Rabbit! And he would make a breakfast of me, too, or of Blue Jay, or of any of us, if he had a chance. I wish I were as big as the big brown bear for a minute. I’d show old Ki-yi Coyote!”

And Chatty Squirrel scolded so fast and so loud that presently his neighbors heard him and came flocking around to see what the trouble was.

“What’s that you say?” asked Stubby Woodchuck, running up to the foot of the tree.

“What’s that? What’s that? What’s that?” cried Blue Jay, and Jim Crow, and ever so many others as they came up.

“You’d better say, ‘What’s that?’” Chatty Squirrel chattered. “I just now dropped a stone on Ki-yi Coyote, who was lying right down there in those bushes. He was all ready to pounce on Doctor Rabbit and gobble him up!”

“Indeed!” exclaimed Blue Jay in his shrill voice.

“Indeed!” Jim Crow called in his hoarse voice.

“Indeed!” said big Uncle Owl in his deep bass voice. “Indeed! Indeed!” he exclaimed again seriously, as he straightened his spectacles. Now Uncle Owl hardly ever said more than one word, and when he said _three_ words without stopping, it meant something very unusual had happened to him. He was _almost_ excited.

All the little creatures of the Big Green Woods kept a respectful silence, even Chatty Squirrel, and listened respectfully for Uncle Owl to speak. So big Uncle Owl (he was more than twice as big as little Downy Owl) cleared his throat and looked straight at Chatty Squirrel. Then he said, “Well, well, why didn’t you _kill_ him?”

“I wish I could have killed him,” Chatty Squirrel chattered angrily. “But anyway I hit him. And Doctor Rabbit fooled him ever so much, because, you see, Doctor Rabbit was on the other side of Murmuring Brook and ran away from Ki-yi as easily as anything. But what are we going to do?” Chatty went on. “Haven’t we got enough to do to live without having old Ki-yi Coyote sneaking around in the Big Green Woods? I tell you, my friends, it’s an outrage!”

Then they all looked at big Uncle Owl, and after a while he said in his deep voice, “My friends, I think we should have Doctor Rabbit call a meeting at once and see if we can’t get rid of this danger. It would be serious, very serious indeed, if Ki-yi Coyote should decide to live in the Big Green Woods. He might make a meal of almost any of us. I’ve noticed that he is not at all particular what he eats, whether it’s a bird or an animal. Only yesterday I saw him spring from some bunch grass in the prairie and seize a friend of mine, a small owl that had just come out of an old hole prairie-dog Paddy-Paws used to live in.

“Yes, indeed,” old Uncle Owl went on, much excited for him, “yes, indeed! We must find Doctor Rabbit, and see what he has to say about it. I’ll not rest until this terrible Ki-yi Coyote is driven entirely away from our Big Green Woods.” And with that, stately Uncle Owl waddled back to his hole in the tree, where he stood looking out.

The other little creatures of the Big Green Woods then talked the matter over. Blue Jay said that if only they all could make as much noise as he could, he was sure they could drive Ki-yi Coyote away with noise alone. But since the others couldn’t make as much noise, this plan had to be given up.

Gay Red Bird said he surely did wish he could think of some scheme to scare Ki-yi away, but being a mere bird he couldn’t. Robin-the-Red said so too. Stubby Woodchuck and Cheepy Chipmunk both said they’d like to do it, but they didn’t know how, either. They all looked at one another, and each one waited for some one else to speak. And just then they saw Doctor Rabbit coming across the woods toward them.

He wasn’t running as if he were the least bit scared. Oh, no, he was acting as if he were glad about something. There was no doubt about that, because every now and then he would kick up his heels and laugh. And the nearer he came the more he danced and laughed.

DOCTOR RABBIT HAS A SCHEME

Doctor Rabbit came up jumping and dancing and laughing. He was certainly very much tickled about something, that was plain.

“Good morning, my friends,” he said finally. “I suppose you all have come out here to see what Chatty Squirrel is scolding about. Has he told you?”

“Yes, yes, about Ki-yi Coyote!” they all said together.

“Well,” Doctor Rabbit said, and he laughed again, “I gave old Ki-yi the slip pretty easily that time. Indeed I did, and Chatty Squirrel and I certainly did fool him! I guess we did fool him! Ha, ha, ha!” And Doctor Rabbit was so tickled he just had to hold his sides when he remembered how Ki-yi Coyote had jumped, and how puzzled he had looked when the stone hit him.

“The last I saw of him,” Doctor Rabbit said, “he was sneaking along the Wide Prairie at the edge of the woods, looking for Jack Rabbit; and he was mumbling to himself and saying he was going to get me and Jack Rabbit too. But I’ll take care of that. He thinks I’m not smart enough for him, but just let him wait and see! When I ran away from him and got into the briar patch, he shouted in at me and said:

“‘All right for this time, Doctor Rabbit, but I’ll get you the next time, and some of your friends, too. In fact, I think I like the Big Green Woods, and I’m going to live here. Perhaps I’ll live here right along!’”

That troubled everybody but Doctor Rabbit. All the other little creatures of the Big Green Woods looked seriously at one another, and Stubby Woodchuck climbed up on a stump and looked nervously around. “I wish we could drive Ki-yi Coyote ten miles away, and I wish he never could get back!” Stubby Woodchuck said, with a very scared look on his face.

“Let’s do it!” shouted Blue Jay. Blue Jay didn’t have the least idea how it could be done, but he was willing to try, even as small as he was.

“Perhaps Doctor Rabbit has a plan,” said Robin-the-Red. “He usually helps us out.”

Then they all looked at Doctor Rabbit. Even old Uncle Owl looked from his hole in the tree.

“Well,” said Doctor Rabbit, cheerfully, “I have been thinking about this since yesterday. First I thought out a way for us to catch Ki-yi, but that would be pretty dangerous for us, so I have decided to try another plan. I think my scheme will work, and none of us will have to get very close to Ki-yi Coyote, either. In fact, I think Jack Rabbit and I can do it ourselves, though we shall need the help of one very savage creature. I will tell you about him later.”

“Let’s do it right now!” shouted busy Blue Jay.

“No,” Doctor Rabbit said, “it will take a little time. I’m going over to see Jack Rabbit this very afternoon,” he continued. “After I have talked with him and we are all ready, I’ll tell Friend Blue Jay and he’ll tell you. Then all you’ll need to do will be to come close to this big tree, and hide, and watch. You must excuse me now,” he said. “I must go over and see one of Frisky Grey Squirrel’s children who has been eating too many green nuts. Early in the morning Blue Jay will tell you when we shall be ready.”

And with that Doctor Rabbit went away, hoppity, hoppity, hoppity, to see the little sick squirrel.

THE LITTLE CREATURES OF THE WOODS ARE EXCITED

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!”

“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!”

“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?”

“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.”