hen a head of lettuce.

"More! more! more!" Fatty ordered.

And soon Jimmy Rabbit saw with dismay that the vegetables were nearly
all gone. In a few moments he reached the very last one--a big turnip
which he could hardly lift.

But he managed to pick it up and raise it above his head. And then with
all his might he threw the turnip straight at Fatty Coon.

Fatty was just opening his mouth to say "More!" But he never said it.
The big turnip struck him right on his fat stomach and knocked his
breath out. He gave a faint groan and toppled over on the ground. And he
was so fat that he started to roll.

Though he clawed at the grass to stop himself, he rolled faster and
faster down the hill.

He was a very comical sight. And at any other time Jimmy Rabbit would
have stopped to laugh. But Jimmy was so glad to be rid of Fatty Coon
that he picked up the handles of his little wheelbarrow and ran home as
fast as he could jump.

[Illustration: 7 A Fast Runner]

7

A Fast Runner

On Blue Mountain, and in Pleasant Valley as well, there lived many fast
runners. And among the swiftest was Jimmy Rabbit. But he never ran very
far. Whenever he was startled he would go bounding off like the wind;
but pretty soon he would stop and listen to see if anyone was following
him. And if it happened to be dog Spot, he always hurried to a hollow
stump, or perhaps a woodchuck's hole--or a skunk's--and hid there until
Spot went away.

Of course, there was some risk in going into somebody else's house. For
if the owner happened to be at home there was likely to be a quarrel.
Naturally, nobody likes to have some outsider burst into his house
without even stopping to knock.

Now, everyone said that Jimmy Rabbit could run fast--that is, all but
Tommy Fox. He never would admit that Jimmy Rabbit was much of a runner.
I should hate to say that Tommy Fox was jealous. But it certainly did
annoy him to hear so much said about Jimmy's wonderful speed.

Perhaps he never would have suggested the race, if Jimmy Rabbit hadn't
boasted so much about his running. You see, in time Jimmy's head became
turned. And he was often heard to say that there was no one in that part
of the country who could beat him.

"Of course, there may be some one, somewhere, who can outrun me," Jimmy
Rabbit said. "But I have yet to meet him."

That was a little more than Tommy Fox could bear. And he went off,
looking very sour. He trotted over to the creek, did T