Mother West Wind's Children Read online

  VII

  JOHNNY CHUCK'S SECRET

  Johnny Chuck pushed up the last bit of gravel from the hole he had dugbetween the roots of the old apple tree in a corner of the GreenMeadows. He smoothed it down on the big, yellow mound he had made infront of his door. Then he sat up very straight on top of the mound,brushed his coat, shook the sand from his trousers and carefullycleaned his hands.

  After he had rested a bit, he turned around and looked at his new home,for that is what it was, although he had not come there to live yet,and no one knew of it, no one but jolly, round, red Mr. Sun, who,peeping between the branches of the old apple tree, had caught JohnnyChuck at work. But _he_ wouldn't tell, not jolly Mr. Sun! Lookingdown from the blue sky every day he sees all sorts of queer things andhe learns all kinds of secrets, does Mr. Sun, but he never, nevertells. No, Sir! Mr. Sun never tells one of them, not even to OldMother West Wind when at night they go down together behind the PurpleHills.

  So jolly, round, red Mr. Sun just smiled and smiled when he discoveredJohnny Chuck's secret, for that is just what the new home under theapple tree was--a secret. Not even the Merry Little Breezes, who findout almost everything, had discovered it.

  Johnny Chuck chuckled to himself as he planned a back door, a beautifulback door, hidden behind a tall clump of meadow grass where no onewould think to look for a door. When he had satisfied himself as tojust where he would put it, he once more sat up very straight on hisnice, new mound and looked this way and looked that way to be sure thatno one was near. Then he started for his old home along a secretlittle path he had made for himself.

  Pretty soon he came to the Lone Little Path that went past his ownhome. He danced and he skipped along the Lone Little Path, and,because he was so happy, he tried to turn a somersault. But JohnnyChuck was so round and fat and rolly-poly that he just tumbled over ina heap.

  "Well, well, well! What's the matter with you?" said a voice closebeside him before he could pick himself up. It was Jimmy Skunk, whowas out looking for some beetles for his dinner.

  Johnny Chuck scrambled to his feet and looked foolish, very foolishindeed.

  "There's nothing the matter with me, Jimmy Skunk," said Johnny."There's nothing the matter with me. It's just because I've got asecret."

  "A secret!" cried Jimmy Skunk. "What is it?"

  "Yes, a secret, a really, truly secret," said Johnny Chuck, and lookedvery important.

  "Tell me, Johnny Chuck. Come on, tell just _me_, and then we'll havethe secret together," begged Jimmy Skunk.

  Now Johnny Chuck was so tickled with his secret that it seemed as if he_must_ share it with some one. He just couldn't keep it to himself anylonger.

  "You won't tell any one?" said Johnny Chuck.

  Jimmy Skunk promised that he wouldn't tell a soul.

  "Cross your heart," commanded Johnny Chuck.

  Jimmy Skunk crossed his heart.

  Then Johnny Chuck looked this way and looked that way to be sure thatno one was listening. Finally he whispered in Jimmy Skunk's ear:

  "I've got a new home under the old apple tree in a corner of the GreenMeadows," said Johnny Chuck.

  Of course Jimmy Skunk was very much surprised and very much interested,so Johnny Chuck told him all about it.

  "Now, remember, it's a secret," said Johnny Chuck, as Jimmy Skunkstarted off down the Lone Little Path across the Green Meadows, to lookfor some beetles.

  "I'll remember," said Jimmy Skunk.

  "And don't tell!" called Johnny Chuck.

  Jimmy Skunk promised that he wouldn't tell. Then Johnny Chuck startedoff up the Lone Little Path, whistling, and Jimmy Skunk trotted downthe Lone Little Path onto the Green Meadows.

  Jimmy Skunk was thinking so much about Johnny Chuck's new home that hequite forgot to look for beetles, and he almost ran into Peter Rabbit.

  "Hello, Jimmy Skunk," said Peter Rabbit, "can't you see where you aregoing? It must be you have something on your mind; what is it?"

  "I was thinking of Johnny Chuck's new home," said Jimmy Skunk.

  "Johnny Chuck's new home!" exclaimed Peter Rabbit. "Has Johnny Chuckgot a new home? Where is it?"

  "Under the roots of the old apple tree in a corner of the GreenMeadows," said Jimmy Skunk, and then he clapped both hands over hismouth. You see he hadn't really meant to tell. It just slipped out.

  "Oh, but it's a secret!" cried Jimmy Skunk. "It's a secret, and youmustn't tell. I guess Johnny Chuck won't mind if you know, PeterRabbit, but you mustn't tell any one else." Peter Rabbit promised hewouldn't.

  Now Peter Rabbit is very inquisitive, very inquisitive indeed. So assoon as he had parted from Jimmy Skunk he made up his mind that he mustsee the new home of Johnny Chuck. So off he started as fast as hecould go towards the old apple tree in a corner of the Green Meadows.Half way there he met Reddy Fox.

  "Hello, Peter Rabbit! Where are you going in such a hurry?" askedReddy Fox.

  "Over to the old apple tree to see Johnny Chuck's new home," repliedPeter Rabbit as he tried to dodge past Reddy Fox. Then of a sudden heremembered and clapped both hands over his mouth.

  "Oh, but it's a secret, Reddy Fox. It's a secret, and you mustn'ttell!" cried Peter Rabbit.

  But Reddy Fox wouldn't promise that he wouldn't tell, for in spite ofhis handsome coat and fine manners, Reddy Fox is a scamp. And,besides, he has no love for Johnny Chuck, for he has not forgotten howJohnny Chuck once made him run and called him a "'fraid cat."

  So when Reddy Fox left Peter Rabbit he grinned a wicked grin andhurried off to find Bobby Coon. He met him on his way to the LaughingBrook. Reddy Fox told Bobby Coon all about Johnny Chuck's secret andthen hurried away after Peter Rabbit, for Reddy Fox also is veryinquisitive.

  Bobby Coon went on down to the Laughing Brook. There he met Billy Minkand told him about the new home Johnny Chuck had made under the oldapple tree in a corner of the Green Meadows.

  Pretty soon Billy Mink met Little Joe Otter and told him.

  Then Little Joe Otter met Jerry Muskrat and told him.

  Jerry Muskrat saw Blacky the Crow and told him, and Great-GrandfatherFrog heard him.

  Blacky the Crow met his first cousin, Sammy Jay, and told him.

  Sammy Jay met Happy Jack Squirrel and told him.

  Happy Jack met his cousin, Striped Chipmunk, and told him.

  Striped Chipmunk passed the house of old Mr. Toad and told him.

  The next morning, very early, before Old Mother West Wind had come downfrom the Purple Hills, Johnny Chuck stole over to his new home to beginwork on his new back door. He had hardly begun to dig when he heardsome one cough right behind him. He whirled around and there sat PeterRabbit looking as innocent and surprised as if he had really justdiscovered the new home for the first time.

  "What a splendid new home you have, Johnny Chuck!" said Peter Rabbit.

  "Y--e--s," said Johnny Chuck, slowly. "It's a secret," he addedsuddenly. "You won't tell, will you, Peter Rabbit?"

  Peter Rabbit promised that he wouldn't tell. Then Johnny Chuck feltbetter and went back to work as soon as Peter Rabbit left.

  He had hardly begun, however, when some one just above him said: "Goodmorning, Johnny Chuck."

  Johnny Chuck looked up and there in the old apple tree sat Blacky theCrow and his cousin, Sammy Jay.

  Just then there was a rustle in the grass and out popped Billy Mink andLittle Joe Otter and Jerry Muskrat and Happy Jack Squirrel and StripedChipmunk and Bobby Coon. When Johnny Chuck had recovered from hissurprise and looked over to the doorway of his new home there sat ReddyFox on Johnny Chuck's precious new mound. It seemed as if all thelittle meadow people were there, all but Jimmy Skunk, who wisely stayedaway.

  "We've come to see your new home," said Striped Chipmunk, "and we thinkit's the nicest home we've seen for a long time."

  "It's so nicely hidden away, it's really quite secret," said Reddy Fox,grinning wickedly.

  Just then up raced the Merry Little Breezes and one of them had
amessage for Johnny Chuck from Great-Grandfather Frog. It was this:

  "Whisper a secret to a friend and you shout it in the ear of the wholeworld."

  After every one had admired the new home, they said good-bye andscattered over the Green Meadows. Then Johnny Chuck began to digagain, but this time he wasn't making his new back door. No indeed!Johnny Chuck was digging at that new mound of yellow gravel of which hehad been so proud. Jolly, round, red Mr. Sun blinked to be sure thathe saw aright, for Johnny Chuck was _filling up his new home_ betweenthe roots of the old apple tree. When he got through, there wasn't anynew home.

  Then Johnny Chuck brushed his coat carefully, shook the sand out of histrousers, wiped his hands and started off for his old home. And thistime he didn't take his special hidden path, for Johnny Chuck didn'tcare who saw him go.

  Late that afternoon, Johnny Chuck sat on his old doorstep, with hischin in his hands, watching Old Mother West Wind gathering her MerryLittle Breezes into the big bag in which she carries them to their homebehind the Purple Hills.

  "'Whisper a secret to a friend and you shout it in the ear of the wholeworld.' Now what did Grandfather Frog mean by that?" thought JohnnyChuck. "Now I didn't tell anybody but Jimmy Skunk and Jimmy Skunkdidn't tell anyone but Peter Rabbit and--and--"

  Then Johnny Chuck began to chuckle and finally to laugh. "'Whisper asecret to a friend and you shout it in the ear of the whole world.' Mygracious, what a loud voice I must have had and didn't know it!" saidJohnny Chuck, wiping the tears of laughter from his eyes.

  And the next day Johnny Chuck started to make a new home. Where? Oh,that's Johnny Chuck's secret. And no one but jolly, round, red Mr. Sunhas found it out yet.