see it clearly

Peter Rabbit Visits the Smiling Pool

By Thornton W. Burgess

Peter Rabbit had just given old Granny Fox and Reddy Fox the slip by ducking into the dear Old Brier Patch. He had laughed almost in their faces as he sat there safely out of reach and watched them lick their chops and try to follow him and yelp and back out as the good old brambles scratched their faces and tore their bright red coats. When they gave up trying to get him, Peter watched them out of sight as they trotted down across the Green Meadows, which were now white, and past the Smiling Pool. That reminded Peter that he had not been over to the Smiling Pool since the snow and cold weather came.

"Granny and Reddy Fox won't come back here this morning, and if they should I can run faster in the snow than they can for I do not break through as they do. I believe I'll go down and call on Jerry Muskrat," said Peter to himself.

So as soon as he was sure that Granny and Reddy Fox had really left the Green Meadows Peter sat up and looked this way and that way to make sure that fierce old Roughleg the Hawk was nowhere about. He was nowhere to be seen, so Peter kicked up his heels and with a light heart he started off, lipperty, lipperty-lip, to call on Jerry Muskrat, and as he ran he sang:

"I like the snow, the pretty snow,
That makes the world so white!
It covers every ugly thing
And hides it from our sight!"

When he reached the Smiling Pool, Peter had to pinch himself twice to be quite sure that it really was the Smiling Pool. You see it wasn't smiling any more. No, Sir, there wasn't a bit of a smile to it. He could the Laughing Brook still laughing, although its laugh did not sound quite so merry as in the warm summer time, and when he looked over to it it didn't dimple and sparkle and gleam as he remembered it used to do. It looked black and cold, and somehow the very sound of its laugh made Peter Rabbit shiver. He looked again at the Smiling Pool and then he stared and stared with his mouth wide open in the most foolish way. What was the matter with the Smiling Pool anyway?

Something certainly was the matter. The Smiling Pool looked hard and glassy. Peter kicked some snow down the bank. Instead of sinking out of sight, as it ought to have, it slid along on the surface of the Smiling Pool. Peter stared more than every and crept nearer to the edge of the bank. Now what happened next Peter never could explain. Perhaps he was nearer the edge than he had thought. Anyway, the first thing he knew his feet had slipped from under him and down the bank he was sliding flat on his back.

Peter closed his eyes and held his breath and waited for the plunge into the cold water. Instead he landed with a bump that knocked all the breath out of him.

"Oh!" cried Peter Rabbit, and for a full minute lay still, staring up at jolly round, red Mr. Sun, who was looking down and laughing at him.

"Oh!" cried Peter again, and tried to scramble to his feet. But something was the matter with his feet! Each foot seemed to want to go in a different direction. Down went Peter again and bumped his nose. The more he struggled the more bumps he got and the more frightened he grew. Finally when he was quite out of breath he very carefully sat up. And where do you think he found himself? Why right on the middle of the Smiling Pool! Peter Rabbit had learned what ice is.