THE STRONGEST—WHO? OR WHICH?
“Well,” replied Mrs. Meadows, “it was like this: One time in the country where we came from—the country where you live now—there chanced to be a big frost, and the mill-pond froze over. Mr. Rabbit ran along that way and found that the pond had this bridge across it.”
“Was it this Mr. Rabbit here?” asked Buster John.
Mrs. Meadows folded her hands in her lap and looked at them. “Well,” she said, “I never talk about folks behind their backs. You must do your own guessing. Anyway, Mr. Rabbit found the ice bridge over the pond, and as he was in something of a hurry he skipped across it. I mean he skipped a part of the way. The Ice was so slippery that when he got about halfway, his feet slipped from under him and he fell kerthump! He got up and rubbed himself as well as he could, and then he thought that the Ice must be very strong to hit him so hard a lick. He said to the Ice, ‘You are very strong.’
“‘I am so,’ replied the Ice.
“‘Well, if you are so strong, how can the Sun melt you?’
“The Ice said nothing, and so Mr. Rabbit asked the Sun, ‘Are you very strong?’
“‘So they tell me,’ replied the Sun.
“‘Then how can the Clouds hide you?’
“The Sun was somewhat ashamed and had nothing to say. So Mr. Rabbit looked at the Clouds.