"Pooh!" said Peter Rabbit, "it's probably as old as the hills to
me. You folks who go to bed with the sun don't hear the news
until it's old. What is it?"
"It's about Reddy Fox," began Johnny Chuck, but Peter Rabbit
interrupted him.
"Shucks, Johnny Chuck! You are slow! Why, it was all over Green
Meadows last night how Reddy Fox had been shot by Farmer Brown's
boy!" jeered Peter Rabbit. "That's no news. And here you've waked
me up to tell me something I knew before you went to bed last
night! Serves Reddy Fox right. Hope he'll be lame for a week,"
added Peter Rabbit.
"He can't walk at all!" cried Johnny Chuck in triumph, sure now
that Peter Rabbit hadn't heard the news.
"What's that?" demanded Peter, and Johnny Chuck could hear him
begin to hop along one of his little private paths in the heart
of the Old Briar-patch. He knew now that Peter Rabbit's curiosity
was aroused, and he smiled to himself.
In a few minutes Peter thrust a sleepy-looking face out from the
Old Briar-patch and grinned rather sheepishly. "What was that you
were saying about Reddy Fox?" he asked again.
"I've a good mind not to tell you, Mr. Know-it-all," exclaimed
Johnny Chuck.
"Oh, please, Johnny Chuck," pleaded Peter Rabbit.
Finally Johnny gave in. "I said that Reddy Fox can't walk. Aren't
you glad, Peter?"
"How do you know?" asked Peter, for Peter is very suspicious of
Reddy Fox, and has to watch out for his tricks all the time.
"Jimmy Skunk told me.
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