g towards him.

"You are going on a journey," Jimmy Rabbit told him. "You are going to
the other side of Blue Mountain. Beneath the great oak near the lake"
(everybody had heard of the great oak) "when the moon comes up to-night,
you will find the surprise of your life.... That's all!" Jimmy said.

Mr. Fox thought it was well worth one cabbage. And he went off wondering
about that surprise.

Jimmy Rabbit told many fortunes that day. And the last one of all was
Henry Skunk's, because Henry was so slow in coming up the hill from the
garden.

By the time he had reached Henry Skunk, Jimmy could think of nothing new
to say. So he began at the beginning again and told Henry Skunk exactly
what he had said to Mr. Fox.

And Henry seemed just as pleased as Mr. Fox had been.

Then Jimmy waited for some time, because Fatty Coon had not appeared at
all. You see, Fatty had been trying and trying to bring a cabbage up the
hill, to pay for having his fortune told. But before he was half way up
he always grew so hungry that he had to eat the cabbage, and then there
was nothing to do but go back for another. So poor Fatty never had his
fortune told at all.

The next day Jimmy Rabbit heard that Mr. Fox and Henry Skunk had had a
terrible battle on the other side of Blue Mountain, just as the moon
came up. It was said that each thought the other was spying on him.

Jimmy Rabbit was the only person who knew how it had come about. And
_he_ wouldn't tell.

[Illustration]

[Illustration: The Night of the Rabbit's Ball]

[Illustration: 16 Red Leggins]

16

Red Leggins

It was winter. And you would naturally think that Jimmy Rabbit would be
happy, there was so much snow to play in. But he wasn't. I am sorry to
say that he was sulking in the house, while all his friends were out of
doors, having a good time in the snow.

The trouble was this: Mrs. Rabbit wouldn't let Jimmy play in the
snowdrifts unless he wore his red leggins. And Jimmy just hated them.
None of the other youngsters had to wear red leggins. And they made all
manner of fun of Jimmy, and called him names, whenever he appeared in
those bright red things.

The worst name that they called him was one that Fatty Coon made up. It
was "Red Legs." And it was a little more than Jimmy could bear. So Jimmy
said he would rather not go out at all, than wear those horrid leggins.

"Very well!" his mother said.

But all the time Jimmy kept wishing he was out there w