Part 3

“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.”

“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 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.”

DOCTOR RABBIT TALKS WITH BIG DOG YAPPY

You remember how badly scared Sophy Woodchuck and Neighbor Chipmunk were when they both climbed up on their stumps at the same time. Well, after their scare was over, they sat on their stumps--which were their homes, of course--and went on talking about various things that had happened among their neighbors of late; but in particular they talked about the terrible Ki-yi Coyote.

Then all of a sudden something happened that made them jump off their stumps, and dart in at their back doors and lock them in a hurry.

They had heard some animal tearing through the woods, apparently straight at them. As they peeked from their windows they naturally thought it was Ki-yi Coyote. But it wasn’t. Ki-yi Coyote would have been far too smart to make so much noise. No, it was Farmer Roe’s big dog, Yappy.

Yappy wasn’t running after anything in particular. He was just running through the woods to take a little exercise and enjoy himself.

Yappy ran around for a time while the little creatures of the Big Green Woods hid and looked out at him. After he had scratched on Cheepy Chipmunk’s door and tried to dig into Stubby Woodchuck’s home, Yappy started out of the woods as fast as he had come in.

Just as he passed Doctor Rabbit’s house, Doctor Rabbit put his head out of a hole pretty well up in the tree and said, “Good morning, Yappy!”

Happy Yappy stopped mighty quick and looked all around. He couldn’t see anybody at first, and he wondered who it was that had spoken. Stubby and Mrs. Stubby and Cheepy and Mrs. Cheepy came to their windows to peek out and listen. Robin-the-Red, Jim Crow, and ever so many other of the little creatures of the Big Green Woods also listened. They wondered what Doctor Rabbit would say to Yappy.

After gazing around and up a little, Yappy at last saw Doctor Rabbit looking from the hole up in the tree.

“Why, good morning, Doctor!” Yappy said, in his pleasantest voice. “Come down on the grass here; you will be more comfortable.”

“No, thank you,” Doctor Rabbit said, “I’d rather talk from up here. You look pretty hungry, and I just wanted to ask you how you would like to have Jack Rabbit for your breakfast to-morrow morning?”

This was a question that was a little hard for Yappy to answer, under the circumstances. Rabbit was his favorite dish, when he could get one. He saw he could not get Doctor Rabbit, and he thought Doctor Rabbit was just making fun of him. Of course, Yappy was pretty angry. He was all the more angry because, although he had chased Jack Rabbit many times, he never had been able to catch him. Still, he was always willing to try again.

“That’s all right about my wanting Jack Rabbit,” Yappy snapped; “I could catch him in no time if I _wanted_ to.”

Doctor Rabbit almost laughed out loud at this, but he didn’t, because that might have spoiled what he wanted to do.

“Why, of course,” Doctor Rabbit said in his most friendly tones. “And I have decided I’ll give you a chance at him. In fact, I have been watching for you to tell you this very thing. Now, all you have to do,” Doctor Rabbit continued, “is to go where I tell you, and when I tell you, and you will run right on to him.”

Yappy was certainly puzzled about this matter. Why, he wondered, did Doctor Rabbit want to get rid of Jack Rabbit? “Oh, well,” Yappy thought to himself, “perhaps Jack Rabbit has been over in the Big Green Woods cuffing Doctor Rabbit; or maybe it is just because Doctor Rabbit is angry at Jack Rabbit for something or other he’s done.”

“Well”--and Yappy tried to say it as if he was not very much interested--“Well, I don’t care much, but if you want to, you may tell me when and where I can find him.”

“Good!” said Doctor Rabbit, and then he continued, “He’ll be in a new burrow right by the first tree you come to out in the Wide Prairie. And he’ll be there to-morrow morning at exactly nine o’clock.”

“How do you know that?” Yappy asked with deep curiosity.

“Never mind how I know,” Doctor Rabbit retorted. “He’ll be there as sure as anything.”

Yappy yawned as if it didn’t make much difference to him. Then he said, “Well, I guess I’ll be moving,” and away he ran through the woods until he was out of sight.

Doctor Rabbit chuckled to himself. He knew mighty well that Yappy _was_ interested, even if he did try to act as if he didn’t care. And he knew the greedy fellow would be at that tree at nine the next morning, too.

Of course the other little creatures of the Big Green Woods were much puzzled that Doctor Rabbit should seem to have turned so quickly against Jack Rabbit. But the next morning they found out all about it. And something happened of which they had never even dreamed.

DOCTOR RABBIT TALKS WITH JACK RABBIT

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.”

“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. “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. 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?”

“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 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 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.”

OLD UNCLE OWL GIVES GOOD ADVICE

You remember how Doctor Rabbit asked Jack Rabbit to do a rather risky thing to drive Ki-yi Coyote out of the Big Green Woods. Well, the next morning after this, Friend Jack Rabbit was up a good while before daylight. To tell the truth, he had not slept very much during the night. No, sir; he just couldn’t get to sleep because he kept thinking about that joke he and Doctor Rabbit were to play on wicked old Ki-yi Coyote.

Of course, it was not all fun, either. I should say not! You see, greedy Yappy would certainly gobble up Jack Rabbit if he could get him. But Jack Rabbit was not very much afraid, because he had run away from Yappy a good many times before.

No, brave Jack Rabbit didn’t stay awake because he was scared. I suppose he couldn’t sleep for about the same reason that boys sometimes stay awake when the circus comes to town. And the boys used to get up before daylight to go and see the animals, and perhaps some of them do it yet.

Yes, Jack Rabbit was very, very curious. He wondered if Ki-yi Coyote would really hide in the Big Green Woods under the elm tree, as Doctor Rabbit had said he would.

So, about four in the morning, Jack Rabbit slipped away and went over to watch along the edge of the woods. He had not been there long when, yes, sir; Sure enough! There came Ki-yi Coyote sneaking along and looking all around to make sure, as he thought, that nobody saw him.

As slinky Ki-yi Coyote slipped along he came pretty close to Jack Rabbit, and then Jack Rabbit lay mighty still. Indeed he did! He hardly dared to breathe until Ki-yi Coyote had passed from sight beneath the big elm farther on in the woods. Then Jack Rabbit just kicked up his heels and danced for joy. He wanted to laugh too, ever so much, but he didn’t dare, because sharp-eared Ki-yi might hear him. No, Jack Rabbit ran clear back to his tree before he laughed, and then he laughed as loudly as he wanted to. “I can scarcely wait until nine o’clock comes,” he said, after he had laughed again and danced another jig of joy.

Stubby Woodchuck had heard Doctor Rabbit talking with Yappy, and so as often as Stubby saw one of the little creatures of the Big Green Woods, he told him about it. It was not long before every one of them knew, and they wondered why kind Doctor Rabbit had told Yappy where to find Jack Rabbit. In fact, they really couldn’t understand it at all, because Doctor Rabbit was so good and kind to everybody.

But when Uncle Owl heard about it, he looked very wise and said to a number of the little creatures of the Big Green Woods, “I’m sure you need not be troubled, my friends; for I think we shall find that this has something to do with getting Ki-yi Coyote away from the Big Green Woods and the Wide Prairie. Bear in mind, I say I only _suspect_ it does,” and with another very wise look Uncle Owl walked back to his hole in the tree, and there stood looking toward the big elm where Ki-yi Coyote lay hiding and watching for Doctor Rabbit.

Then about a half hour before nine o’clock, busy Blue Jay flew all over the Big Green Woods and told all the little creatures of the woods to go as close as they dared to the big elm where Ki-yi Coyote lay, and then watch.

When some of them tried to have Blue Jay stop and talk, he said he didn’t have time. He said he was in the biggest hurry he had ever known. “You watch! You watch!” he would cry back at them as he flew away to tell others.

Before long they were all either flying or creeping toward the big elm. They didn’t know what Doctor Rabbit’s plan was, of course, but they believed something mighty interesting was going to happen. When they were all hidden, some of them kept up such a whispering it seemed as if Ki-yi must surely hear. Each one said it wasn’t he who whispered, until presently Uncle Owl called out loudly from his tree, “_Who?_” Then they did keep still. Because there was Uncle Owl looking right at them.

YAPPY CHASES KI-YI COYOTE

All the little creatures of the Big Green Woods were looking toward the big elm where Ki-yi Coyote was hiding and were wondering what would happen.

Then all of a sudden they heard big-mouthed Yappy baying away out on the Wide Prairie. Pretty soon they heard another hound baying.

It was quite true that Jack Rabbit had been started up at last. He had waited at the tree, and it had seemed as though nine o’clock never would come. At last when he saw Yappy and his friend coming, he was really glad.

When they were pretty close, Jack Rabbit sprang up, put his long ears straight in the air, and away he went. You see, when he doesn’t have to run very fast, he keeps his ears straight up in the air; but when he has to run as fast as he can--the way he did when Speedy Grey Hound got after him--then he lays his long ears down flat to his head. And how he does run! He looks like a streak, he goes so fast.

Jack Rabbit was not much afraid of Yappy, because you see, Yappy was only a fox hound. Now a fox hound is dangerous enough at night, when he is on the trail of Ray Coon or O. Possum, but he can’t do any harm in the daytime to swift Jack Rabbit on the Wide Prairie.

Big Yappy and his friend, the other fox hound, had been trained to trail, at night, nothing but Ray Coon and O. Possum and Tom Wildcat. But in the daytime they certainly did like to start up Jack Rabbit. Most of all, though, they liked to start up Ki-yi Coyote.

“There he goes!” shouted happy Yappy to his friend, as Jack Rabbit jumped up; and away they all went. And Jack Rabbit, of course, led them straight away for the Big Green Woods.

As they ran, Jack Rabbit kept thinking to himself, “I surely do hate to run so close to Ki-yi Coyote. Indeed, I do! Just suppose he _should_ go after me as hard as ever he could.” Then he would comfort himself by thinking, “But then, he’ll never do it with the two hounds chasing him. I’ll be all right. Yes, I’ll just keep going. My, but I wish I could kick old Ki-yi right on the nose as I go past him!”

But wise Jack Rabbit said to himself that as soon as he had started up Ki-yi Coyote, he would run right back to the Wide Prairie, where there was plenty of room, because he might need it.

While all the little creatures of the Big Green Woods were looking and wondering, Doctor Rabbit bounded into the woods from somewhere. In a jiffy he was in his tree, looking out from an upper window.

The two hounds were coming after Jack Rabbit as fast as they could, yelling terribly at each other, and saying that this time they certainly would catch him.

But Jack Rabbit was very wise. He ran a little slower until the two hounds were fearfully close, and all the little creatures of the Big Green Woods looking on were dreadfully scared for poor Jack Rabbit. In fact, Mother Chipmunk and Sophy Woodchuck began to weep, and wipe their eyes with the corners of their aprons, because they said something had surely gone wrong with Jack Rabbit and this was the last of him. It would be terrible, they said; and how would Mrs. Jack Rabbit ever make a living for all that family of little rabbits out on the Wide Prairie?

The next minute Jack Rabbit ran straight for the big elm. He saw Ki-yi Coyote lying with his body close to the ground. Old Ki-yi Coyote had seen them coming, but he thought, of course, he would just watch and see Jack Rabbit and the hounds go by. Then suddenly, before he could realize it, Jack Rabbit leaped clear over startled Ki-yi. “Ki-yi! Ki-yi!” he shouted, “I’ve brought you some company. Here they are. Good day! I must be going!” And away went Jack Rabbit out of sight.

Well, Ki-yi Coyote was both surprised and angry. He was about the angriest he had ever been in his life. But what could he do? Well, he couldn’t do a thing except tear out of the woods as hard as he could go. And then how all the little creatures of the Big Green Woods did laugh, even Mother Chipmunk and Sophy Woodchuck!

Now when Yappy and his friend saw Ki-yi Coyote jump up, they shouted for joy. “Woo! woo! woo!” shouted Yappy gaily to his friend. “Sly old Ki-yi! Woo, woo, woo! Here he is right under our noses! _Now_ we’ll see about him! Woo, woo, woo!” And away they went after Ki-yi Coyote. Ki-yi was so mad he could have bitten a nail if there had been one handy, but, mad or no mad, he had to run as hard as he could.

Now the little creatures of the Big Green Woods all hurried to the edge of the woods and looked on as Yappy and his friend started out across the Wide Prairie after Ki-yi Coyote.

KI-YI COYOTE’S STRANGE HIDING PLACE

How Ki-yi Coyote did run when he got out on the Wide Prairie! He thought he would run as fast as possible, and so get out of sight and hide from the two hounds. Sure enough, sly Ki-yi did this very thing. He ran so fast that pretty soon he passed from sight over a little hill, and it certainly looked as if he had escaped. Old Ki-yi thought he had, and as he hid in some tall grass, he chuckled to himself to think how easy it was to get away from his enemies. “I’ll just wait and rest here,” he said. “Ha, ha, ha! I’ll get my rabbit for breakfast yet!”

But Ki-yi Coyote had no more than said that than here came Yappy and the other hound right on his trail. And they kept coming right on and sniffing and smelling Ki-yi’s tracks until they were so close that Ki-yi had to spring up and run again. Once more he ran fast and hid, but again he was trailed, and again he had to jump up and run.

They kept this up all morning, until Ki-yi Coyote was getting pretty tired. Then, a little later, he was so dreadfully tired that what do you suppose he did? No, he didn’t stop to fight, although cowardly Ki-yi sometimes does do that. He thought about it, but after he had looked back he said to himself, “No, I won’t stop to fight. I’m not quite able to tackle Yappy and that other big hound, too. I’m going to do something else. I’m going where I can rest.”

And he did. He ran straight for Farmer Roe’s corn crib and squeezed under it! The dirt was soft and cool under there, and tired Ki-yi stretched out and made himself very comfortable. Then Yappy and his friend ran up to the hole where Ki-yi Coyote had gone under the corn crib, and began barking for all they were worth; and presently Farmer Roe and his boy came out and looked under the corn crib. They were certainly surprised to see Ki-yi hidden under there, and they decided at once that they would try to catch him alive.

The two hounds kept on barking, and Farmer Roe and his boy went right to work fixing something outside; but Ki-yi did not know what they were doing, and he felt pretty safe.

All this time the little creatures of the Big Green Woods had looked on from the edge of the Wide Prairie. Blue Jay was in the very top of the big elm, and he called down every now and then to tell just what was happening.

When Ki-yi Coyote ran under the corn crib, Doctor Rabbit slipped up pretty close to Farmer Roe’s house. He got a good hiding place in some weeds, where he could see all that happened.

After a while Farmer Roe and his boy got some kind of a box fixed, and this they placed over the hole into which Ki-yi Coyote had run. Then they took the two hounds away and locked them in the barn. Doctor Rabbit slipped back to the woods.

“They’ve got it all fixed to catch Ki-yi alive!” he told the other little creatures of the Big Green Woods.

“How do you know?” they asked in a chorus.

“I heard them say so; and now you just wait and see!” Doctor Rabbit said. Then he slipped back again to hide in the weeds and watch.

Of course he had to be very careful, because Yappy might come tearing out into the weeds at any moment. But Doctor Rabbit’s eyes are very sharp. He was sure he could see any danger if it came near, so he was not much afraid.

CATCHING KI-YI COYOTE

All afternoon Doctor Rabbit watched the strange box that Farmer Roe had placed at the hole where Ki-yi Coyote had gone under the corn crib, but nothing happened. Toward evening Doctor Rabbit came back to the little creatures waiting in the woods. He looked very wisely at them and said:

“My friends, nothing more has happened as yet, but I feel quite certain that Ki-yi Coyote will be caught. I’m pretty tired now and must have my supper. Just as soon as it is daylight, Jack Rabbit and I will slip over again and watch, and see what Farmer Roe and his boy do about that box.”

At this all the little creatures of the Big Green Woods began talking at once. Then they bade Doctor Rabbit good-night, and went back to their homes to await the news.

The next morning they were all startled by hearing noisy Blue Jay shouting, “Come here! Come here, all of you! Doctor Rabbit told me to call you. Old Ki-yi is caught, and I can see him. I can see him!”

Well, you should have seen all those little creatures of the Big Green Woods tumbling out of their homes! Stubby Woodchuck came tearing out of his front door, and before he knew it, bumped into Cheepy Chipmunk, and knocked him over. They were both mad about it for a minute. Stubby got bumped on the ear and Cheepy got a bump on the nose, but in the excitement they forgot their anger and hurried to the edge of the Wide Prairie, where all the other little creatures of the Big Green Woods seemed to be gathering.