see it clearly
Peter Rabbit Wishes He Had Heeded Johnny Chuck
By Thornton W. Burgess
Peter Rabbit plunged into the Old Brier Patch and dodged this way and dodged that way, trying to lose Bowser the Hound. But twist and turn and jump as he would he couldn't fool Bowser the Hound. The friendly briers tried to help Peter. They caught Bowser's tender ears and tore and scratched him until he yelped, but always he kept his nose in the tracks of Peter Rabbit, and where Peter went Bowser followed.
Peter Rabbit began to be worried. He had boasted bravely to Johnny Chuck, but right down in his heart he was very much afraid of Bowser the Hound, and now that he found he couldn't lost Bowser he began to think very hard.
Where could he go for safety? There was Jimmy Skunk's old house on the hill. It was a long way off and he must cross the open meadow, with no friendly briers to hold back Bowser the Hound. Peter peeped out from the Old Brier Patch and wondered if he could get there before Bowser could catch him. Already he was tired and a little out of breath.
First he would puzzle Bowser all he could. So Peter ran around in circles and jumped this way and jumped that way to mix his tracks all up so that it would take Bowser the Hound a long time to untangle them. Then Peter started for the Lone Little Path up the hill to Jimmy Skunk's old house.
Johnny Chuck, peeping from the door of his own snug new house, saw Peter Rabbit's white tail disappear in the broken down doorway of Jimmy Skunk's old house and he gave a sigh of relief, for he is very fond of happy-go-lucky, shiftless Peter Rabbit. He would have felt better still, however, if he had not remembered that a big stone closed the back door of Jimmy Skunk's old house.
Late that afternoon Johnny Chuck sat on his doorstep when up limped Peter Rabbit. Such a looking sight as Peter was! His coat was torn and full of burrs and yellow sand. His feet were so sore that he could hardly walk. Peter dropped down on the ground and panted.
"Oh," groaned Peter, "I've had such a narrow escape!"
"Tell me about it," said Johnny Chuck.
Peter hesitated and looked a little confused. "Bowser the Hound tried to dig me out of Jimmy Skunk's old house on the hill," he said.
"And what did you do?" asked Johnny Chuck.
"I tried to get out the back door," said Peter, "and then I remembered the big stone you had told me about. So I had to dig a new back door. Oh dear, my hands are so sore! Anyhow Bowser the Hound dug a big hole for nothing, for all he got was three hairs out of my tail."
Johnny Chuck looked at the funny little bunch of cotton Peter calls a tail, and whistled. "My, but that was a narrow escape!" said he. "Peter Rabbit, you take my advice and build a house with two doors."
Just then someone cried "Thief! thief!" It was Sammy Jay.