had marched through the woods for a long time; and Jimmy was
about to stop and tell everybody that the fun was over, when he saw all
at once that it was really just going to begin. For right in front of
him he saw his friend. Peter Mink, pinned fast beneath the log.

"You've been long enough coming to help me!" Peter Mink growled. "Get
this log off me--you people--and be quick about it!"

Brownie Beaver left his place in the parade and hurried forward, because
he knew more about handling logs than anybody else there. But before he
could get his coat off, Jimmy Rabbit called him one side and whispered
to him. And then Jimmy whispered to everybody else. And the parade
disbanded. Then everybody crowded around Peter Mink.

"What is it you want?" Jimmy Rabbit asked Peter.

"Want?" Peter Mink screamed. "Are you blind? Can't you see this great
log on top of me? Can't you get it off? What are you waiting for?"

"Ah!" said Jimmy Rabbit. "We are waiting for just one thing. And we
haven't heard it yet."

"Heard it?" Peter Mink snarled. "Aren't your ears big enough to hear
everything?"

"We're going to teach you something," said Jimmy. "And until you've
learned the lesson, we're going to leave you right where you are."

You should have heard Peter Mink then--or rather, you're lucky you
_didn't_ hear him. For the way he went on was something dreadful. But
until Jimmy Rabbit heard what he was waiting for, he wouldn't let anyone
roll the log off Peter.

Finally it grew so late that some of the paraders said they would have
to be going home pretty soon. And then Billy Woodchuck remarked that he
didn't believe Peter Mink had the least idea what they were waiting
for.

"I think we ought to tell him," Billy said.

So Jimmy Rabbit told Peter what it was.

"I don't know what it means," said Peter.

"Well--say it, anyhow!" Jimmy Rabbit ordered. "And after this, whenever
you want anybody to do anything for you, don't forget to say it! It
wouldn't do you a bit of harm to practice saying it every day, for a
while, until you get used to it."

Peter Mink looked as if he would have liked to do something to Jimmy
Rabbit. And for a long time he refused to obey. But when Brownie Beaver
said that he simply _must_ go home, because it was so late, Peter Mink
said what Jimmy had been waiting for.

It was "Please!"

And no doubt you guessed it long ago.

GOOD NEWS ABOUT PETER

"Yes! They say he has at last decided to go to