George Ethelbert Walsh

“ For, though each drop sparkles but a moment, and then vanishes from sight, there are a million others to follow it, and when you bathe in them they wash and scour away the dirt, and make you clean and fresh in body and soul.
Washer had his first great adventure at Rocky Falls, and it is a wonder that he ever lived to tell the tale, for the water which flows over the falls is almost as cruel and terrible as it is sparkling and inviting. ”

“ Bumper was perfectly safe for two reasons. One was that Sneaky was thinking only of Billy and ignoring Bumper, and another was the distance was too great for Sneaky to reach the white rabbit in a single bound. It seemed like a just punishment for his rough joke in spattering Bumper with the mud. In another minute Sneaky would have him in his jaws, and Billy would never play another joke or raid a rabbit’s burrow.
“He who laughs last laughs the longest,” Bumper said to himself, smiling. ”

“ No one seemed to notice Bumper hopping along with Spotty the Chameleon on his back. Ordinarily such a thing would have caused a laugh, and perhaps jeers. But now every one was so terrified that he paid no attention to any one else.
In leaping over a clump of bushes, Bumper suddenly heard a voice call to him. “Oh, Bumper, what am I going to do? I can’t run fast enough to beat the fire. Oh! Oh! I shall be roasted alive!” ”

“ And Buster frowned so severely, and whacked a tree with one of his huge paws so soundly, that Bumper jumped to one side, and then laughed at his own fear. Indeed, Buster was one to be feared when angry, and he could protect the small animals from their natural enemies. One blow from those huge paws would knock Loup senseless and crush in the skull of Sneaky or Mr. Fox. ”

“ And with that Sneaky leaped down into the pit. He trotted around, grinning and nodding his head. “What’s behind you, Mr. Fox?” he asked, coming closer. “Oh, a hole! You thought you could escape through that. If you don’t mind I’ll watch there until morning.”
Mr. Fox took the hint, and jumped away. He ran around the pit, and made a few desperate efforts to leap out of it, but he couldn’t more than reach three-quarters of the way up. Bumper watched him in silence, and Sneaky grinned at every failure, and shouted with glee:
“Try it again, Mr. Fox! If you don’t succeed at first, try, try again.” ”

“ The birds were also separating according to their clans—the song birds and thrushes on one side, and Dasher the Hawk, Great Horn the Owl and Baldy the Eagle on the other. Loup the Lynx, who had been resting in the crotch of a tree after his long swim, was crouching and viewing the smaller animals with fierce, hungry eyes.
Bumper saw in a glance that war was about to be declared, and all his people without homes or any secret hiding place would become [75] easy prey to their enemies. His soul troubled him. The slaughter might be almost as great as if they had all been caught in the fire. ”

“ Bumper replied. “Well, this time you won’t get off so easily. If you don’t go away immediately, I’ll call all the birds and animals of the woods to punish you. They will outlaw you, and be your enemy forever.”
“That wouldn’t be anything new, Bumper,” hissed Killer. “They’re my enemies now. I’m going to have this egg for my breakfast. I’m mighty hungry.”
“No, you’re not,” answered Bumper, springing toward him. Killer dodged back and then shot his head forward as if to strike, but Bumper dodged and landed on the other side. ”

“ Bumper found them in this unyielding state of mind, with neither one willing to give way to the other. Recalling their remarks about Billy Porcupine and Washer the Raccoon, Bumper smiled to himself. After all they were not much less selfish than Billy and Washer when put to the real test. It is always easier to preach than practice.
“It seems to me,” Bumper remarked after a while, “that we’d better make a two-family house out of this burrow. That’s the simplest solution of the problem.”
“How can we do that?” asked Rolly Polly. ”

“ Pink Nose and Rolly Polly
Bumper, finding that Groundy was entitled to the burrow he and Fuzzy Wuzz had entered, hopped away in search of another place. Of course, there had been a grand scramble in the woods for the choice sites. Just like people when new land is thrown open for settlement, every one of the animals made a rush for the best holes.
This naturally caused all sorts of conflicts, and disputes rose on every side. The choicest places were close to the river where they would have water right at their door. ”

“ The sight of the white rabbit on Buster’s head once more excited amusement.
Mr. Crow started off with his loud “Ha! Ha!” and Singer the Mocking Bird repeated it. The others couldn’t resist it, and they all began laughing again. Bumper felt pleased at this, for when an animal is laughing he can’t be very dangerous.
Smiling and bowing, Bumper finally raised a paw, and said: “Now that we’re safe from the fire, we must begin life again on this side of the river. It’s all new to us, and not one of us has a home. Sneaky and Loup and Mr. Fox were very kind to us when we were caught in the fire. ”

“ It was a long, hard job, but Bumper finally gnawed away enough of the wood for Mr. Beaver to get out. When he finally stood on the top of the log, he was so shaken by the experience that his teeth chattered.
“Tell your people that they can cross my dam”
“Bumper, you were right,” he said. [37] “Everybody needs friends, and the time to make them is before you’re in danger. I won’t be so selfish again. Tell your people that they can cross my dam, and when they come ask them to speak a friendly word to me. I want to be their friend.” ”

“ You know Loup the Lynx is hunting in these woods now.”
Sleepy opened both eyes an instant, and then closed them again. “You can’t scare me,” he drawled. “I’ve heard how you’ve been stirring up trouble in the woods. Now don’t come around here with any of your tales.”
Bumper was more nettled than ever at this reply, but still he controlled himself. “You’d better listen to me, Sleepy,” he said. “It’s true that Loup the Lynx is hunting in these woods, and if he passed here he could see you easily. Why not find a good hiding place if you must sleep outdoors?” ”

“ If you want to escape you should run for the river.”
“Is it as bad as all that!” exclaimed Bumper.
“Come up here and look for yourself!”
Bumper smiled at this remark, for he had no more chance of getting up there in the top of the tree than he had of swimming like Billy the Mink under water.
“You should warn all of your people to flee,” Baldy added. “And there’s no time to be lost.”
Baldy and his mate rose then and flew away, leaving the white rabbit alone. “It must be worse than I thought,” he said to himself. “Baldy doesn’t get frightened very easily. I must hurry back home.” ”

“ Not that he was going to permit Sneaky the Wolf or Loup the Lynx to pounce upon his people and eat them up without fighting, but instead of going around with a chip on his shoulder, expecting and looking for trouble, he intended to make friends of all the animals and birds, and be helpful to them.
It is wonderful how much good to others we can overlook if we go about with our eyes shut. There is plenty to do if we look for it. So Bumper found in a short time that he had missed a good deal in always looking for the worst in others instead of for the best. ”

“ Bumper said, “I’ll go home and tell my people and all the animals and birds that peace has come into the woods. There will be no more danger for them.”
So his efforts to seek peace in the woods had been rewarded. Bumper the white rabbit had brought to his people something that was more to be desired than the ability to fight and protect themselves. Billy, Browny, Mr. Beaver, Gray Back and all the other small animals were their friends, and all feuds and quarrels had been wiped out. There was to [132] be no more fighting. Each was to live his life without constant fear of danger. ”

“ We want peace in the new woods.”
The dispute might have lasted indefinitely, for Bumper was puzzled how to settle it; but just as he was thinking he would have to give it up Groundy the Woodchuck rushed down the hole, and seeing so many there he stopped in surprise.
“Hello! I didn’t know I had company in my new home!” he exclaimed. “Well, I’m glad to see all of you. It’s a nice comfortable home, isn’t it? Almost as good as the one I had in the North Woods. Welcome all of you!”
“Well, if that isn’t the limit!” exclaimed Washer.
“The idea!” said Billy, uncurling a little more. ”

“ But pretty soon along came Sneaky the Wolf. He sniffed around and smelling Mr. Fox came and looked down the pit. “Good morning, Mr. Fox,” he said politely. “What are you doing down there?”
Now the sight of Sneaky alarmed the Fox. [115] He dreaded the Wolf as much as Bumper feared the Fox. He had an unpleasant idea that he would have great difficulty in getting out of the pit.
“I was taking a nap, Mr. Wolf,” he replied in a trembling voice.
“Then I think I’ll come down and take one with you, Mr. Fox.”
“Oh, no, please don’t,” pleaded Mr. Fox. “You know the truce isn’t up yet, Sneaky.” ”

“ Bumper gave a big jump through the bushes, and landed close to the place where Killer was coiled. Near him was Hermit’s nest in a small bush just off the ground. A tiny greenish egg was in it.
“Killer, if you break the law of the woods you’ll be punished,” Bumper exclaimed in [105] anger. “The truce between the animals and birds hasn’t ended yet.”
Killer turned defiantly upon the white rabbit, and hissed: “Don’t bother your head, Bumper. This egg doesn’t belong to you. Now run along, and forget it.” ”

“ Buster the Bear stood back of them ready to plunge in the river. Bumper explained in a few words what he had done, and what he hoped to do. Buster looked at him with a curious expression in his eyes.
“Well, well,” he said. “It’s too bad to spoil a good thing. I guess I’ll have to take a hand in it. Now both of you jump on my back, and I’ll get you across. ”

“ Perhaps his reputation was not founded upon justice, but at any rate Bumper was not easy in mind when Killer crawled away in the bushes, after the agreement, without a word as to his intentions.
Killer’s favorite pastime was robbing nests of their eggs and young birds, or hunting Hoppy the Toad, which he swallowed whole. When such food was not to be found, he would sometimes raid the burrows of the larger animals. He had been known to run off with the young of Gray Back the Weasel and Stripe the Chipmunk. ”

“ Now that they were all safe on the other side of the river, the old hunting instincts of the bigger animals were returning, and the natural timidity of the smaller ones began to show itself. While caught in the fire a truce had been declared, but they were all safe now.
Brindley the Lame, Crooked Ears, Pink Nose and Rolly Polly began calling their families together to hide in the bushes, and Sleepy the Opossum was taking to the nearest tree, and Browny the Muskrat was hunting for a convenient hole. ”

“ Beaver and with Billy the Mink, concluding with the remark: “They’re both our friends now. In time of need they’d stand by us and help us. That’s something worth bragging about.”
“Indeed, it is, Bumper,” replied Old Blind Rabbit. “It is better to make a dozen friends than one enemy.”
Bumper was very much pleased with his work, and highly gratified at Old Blind Rabbit’s [40] commendation of it. Now that he had set forth to make friends of all the birds and animals of the woods who would listen to him, he felt that he must leave no stone unturned to accomplish his end. ”

“ So we will leave them just where they are—in the books—and read about them, and let our imaginations take us to them where we can see them playing, skipping, singing, and sometimes fighting, and if we read very carefully, and think as we go along, we may come to know them even better than if we went out hunting for them. ”

“ Downy the Woodpecker and Belt the Sapsucker
Not all the trouble in establishing themselves in the new woods was confined to the animals. The coming of so many birds across the river all at once, each without a home or nesting place, caused a great amount of confusion. There were trees aplenty, but not every tree is suitable for a bird’s nest. ”

“ Beaver, your selfishness will bring you trouble. You will wish for a friend then, and none will come. No, not one!”
“You can’t frighten me!” exclaimed Mr. Beaver. “Nothing’s going to happen to me!”
But even as he said it he felt a little nervous. Bumper’s words had touched the quick. He wished now he hadn’t been so selfish, but he was too old and crusty to acknowledge it. So [35] he stood on guard and watched the white rabbit hop back to the shore, and then he swung around to take a long dive into the water.
Perhaps Mr. Beaver had been on that log a hundred times, and nothing had ever happened ”

“ Yellow Breast the Chat found a tangled thicket under a big pine for his home, but Towhee the Chewink objected, for he had made his new home in that thicket. Hermit the Thrush had been fortunate in finding an ideal home for her brood, and was perfectly satisfied until she found Great Horn the Owl [96] had taken possession of a hole in a rotten tree branch directly over her head.
And so it was with all the others. There were confusion and disputes and mistakes, and all sorts of heart aches and disappointment. But the saddest was the trouble between Downy the Woodpecker and Belt the Sapsucker. ”

“ At the same time Bumper felt a little uneasy. Bald Mountain was a long way off, but the wind was blowing straight from it, and he began to think that perhaps this accounted for the uneasiness of Hermit, Black Cap, Mrs. Oven-Bird and Whip-Poor-Will. Fuzzy Wuzz might have sniffed the odor of smoke on the air, and the frightened birds had sensed the danger in the same way. Also it would account for the blood-red sun.
But Bumper continued to make light of the danger, laughing good-naturedly, and saying that Rusty must have had his wings singed in [48] flying so fast through the air. ”

“ He’s been sick, and when we passed his hole he was too weak to follow us. We called to him, but he couldn’t come with us. He tried it, but he fell out of the tree, and I’m afraid he hurt himself.”
“What!” exclaimed Bumper. “Bobby Gray Squirrel’s back there in the woods!”
“Yes,” nodded Fuzzy Wuzz.
Bumper turned around. “I must go and help him,” he said. “I can’t leave him to die such a horrible death.”
“Oh, you can’t do anything, Bumper,” pleaded Fuzzy Wuzz. “You mustn’t go back. You’ll be killed by the fire, too.”
“I can’t leave Bobby,” replied Bumper. “No, no, I must try to help him. ”

“ Unfortunately for Bumper, Loup had taken up his watchful position directly in front of the small hole. If he would only move a little to one side, the white rabbit could escape. While the hole was too small for Mr. Fox or Sneaky to squeeze through, Bumper could easily get in it.
All night long Bumper kept a watchful eye on Loup and the mouth of the hole. Once the Lynx got up and yawned, stretching his great, powerful legs, but he didn’t change his [120] place. The moon came out, partly flooding the pit with its bright light. Bumper crouched in the shadows and waited. ”