[IV]
PLANNING A PICNIC
While he was only a fawn Nimble became very fond of water lilies. But he didn't carry them as a bouquet, nor wear one in his buttonhole. He was fond of lilies in a different way: he liked to eat them, and their flat, round, glossy pads. At night his mother often led him to the edge of the lake on the other side of Blue Mountain and there they feasted.
It was wonderful to stand in the cool water, not too far from the shore, with the moonlight shimmering on the ruffled lake, and breathe in the sweet scent of the lilies while nibbling at their pads.
"There's nothing," said Nimble to his mother one night, "nothing so good to eat as water lilies."
His mother said, "Humph! Wait till you've tasted carrots!"
"Carrots!" Nimble echoed. "What are carrots and where can I find some? Do they grow in this lake?"
"Carrots," his mother explained, "are vegetables and they grow in Farmer Green's garden."