ll have to give his wheelbarrow to Mr. Turtle,
just as he promised." And Tommy didn't seem at all sorry at such a
thought.

"I hear some one coming!" Billy Woodchuck cried a little later. He had
very sharp ears.

"And I can _see_ somebody!" Fatty Coon exclaimed. _He_ had very sharp
eyes.

And sure enough! Pretty soon they all saw Mr. Turtle waddle out of the
woods and hurry toward them.

Tommy Fox began to dance and sing.

"He's going to win! He's going to win!" he said, over and over again.

And it certainly did look as if that was just what was going to happen.

Tommy drew a mark in the sand near the brook. "As soon as he crosses
this line, he'll win the race!" he shouted.

The two Rabbit boys stepped across the line and waited.

"Your brother is just as good as beaten," Tommy Fox told them. You see,
he had never been near Jimmy Rabbit to wake him, as he had agreed. Of
course, he had never intended to wake him.

Then Mr. Turtle crossed the line.

"You've won!" Tommy exclaimed. And he was so pleased that he gave Mr.
Turtle a good, hard slap on the back. "Ouch!" Tommy said. There was a
look of pain on his face. He had forgotten that Mr. Turtle had such a
hard back.

"Who's won?" one of the Rabbit brothers asked.

"Why, Mr. Turtle!" said Tommy Fox.

"That," said the Rabbit boy, "that is just where you are mistaken, sir.
Jimmy Rabbit has won the race--for _I_ am Jimmy Rabbit."

For a moment there was silence. And then a great shout went up. For they
all saw that it was Jimmy Rabbit himself, dressed like one of his
brothers.

But Tommy Fox did not shout at all. He was very angry. "There's been
some trick played on us," he said.

"Where's my sled, Mr. Turtle?" Jimmy Rabbit asked. He turned around. But
Mr. Turtle had vanished. He had jumped into the brook and swum away.

So Jimmy Rabbit did not get the sled after all. But he was so pleased
over the way he had outwitted Tommy Fox that he didn't care very much.
And all his friends said that he was not only a fast runner, but a very
clever fellow as well.

[Illustration: 9 Playing Leap-Frog]

9

Playing Leap-Frog

There was great joy in the woods. Jimmy Rabbit had promised to teach his
friends a new game. Frisky Squirrel and Billy Woodchuck, Fatty Coon and
Tommy Fox, were all on hand to have their share of the fun.

"What's the game called?" Frisky Squirrel asked.

"It's leap-frog," Jimmy told him.

"Shucks!" said Fatty Coon. "The frog'