Doctor Muskrat makes friends with the ducks.
CHAPTER V
FURTHER DOINGS OF THE WOODSFOLK AT THE BARN
If Tommy Peele wondered what Doctor Muskrat was doing up at the watering trough just outside his barn door, he did a lot more wondering when he stepped inside. For there, on top of the feed bin, with her fur all puffed out and her tail as prickly as a caterpillar, perched the House Cat. And beneath her, thumping very severely, with a fine wad of pussycat fur in each of his hind toenails, sat Nibble Rabbit.
The cat was whining: “Aw, please let me go! I didn’t mean to. Honest I thought it was a rat!”
Nibble gave his ears a big flop. “No, ma’am!” he was stating decidedly. “You can’t fool me. A bunny doesn’t smell the least bit in the world like any rat. You were trying to hunt my children. But you won’t mean to next time. I know that. I only rolled you over, this time, just to show you that a rabbit can fight. Next time——”
“Next time,” squawked Chirp Sparrow, who had his first nest robbed by that very same Tabby Tiptoes; “next time he’ll set you spinning three ways at once until your brains are as addled as a frosted egg.”
“Me-waur-r!” begged the poor pussy. “Please, Tommy Peele, let me out and I’ll run back to the house. Truly I will.”
“I hope these wild things will teach you some manners,” said Tommy Peele. “Whatever Nibble did to you is nothing to what you’ll get if you try your tricks on Doctor Muskrat.” He carried her away down past the gate so she wouldn’t meet him.
“Good Clover-leaves!” whispered Nibble in surprise, when he saw how gently Tommy treated his enemy. “Do you s’pose he’ll be cross with me for what I’ve done?”