Mr. Crow's friends in the tree chose the best seats they could find, in order to get a good view of the race. And at the foot of the tree Jimmy Rabbit stood on tiptoe. He had often wished he could climb a tree—but never so much as then.
XIV
THE LUCKY LAUGH
As the train drew nearer to the tree where Mr. Crow and his friends were waiting, it gave a loud shriek.
"You hear that?" said Mr. Crow. "It's still angry." And he shouted an impudent caw-caw in reply.
In a moment more the race began. Mr. Crow had no trouble in beating the train, just as he always had. And when he had passed it he dropped quickly and swerved across the track ahead of it.
To his great surprise the train never faltered. It kept straight on, going faster and faster. And the first thing Mr. Crow knew, the last car had whipped around a curve and passed out of sight.
Poor Mr. Crow felt very downcast. He would have liked to hurry home at once, because he hated to face his friends. But he knew they would follow him if he flew away. So he went back to meet them, wearing a bold smile.
"Did you see what happened?" he inquired. "The train was afraid to stop!"
Everybody laughed when Mr. Crow said that. People knew him too well to be deceived by him.