Omaha daily bee., 1921-01-07

whom Peter Mink knew, she asked:
who has the money!
"Oh, it's safe" said Mr.. Rabbit.
"lt's hidden in an old stump. And
the hole in the stump is so small that
even Peter himself can't crawl
through it," ..s.
How do you know he can't?"
"He tried,"' said Mr.. Rabbit.
How do you know he tried as
hard as he could?" Mrs. Rabbit
asked. .-.E
That was what made Mr. Rabbit
worry. So instead of going to bed,
he hurried back to the place where
Peter had given his famous lecture;
and there he hid himself under ..
small pine.
Mr.. Rabbit hadn't waited long be-
fore he saw some one come out of
the elderberry bushes and hurry up
to the stump.
1t was Peter Mink! He had bag
in his hand. And while Mr.. Rabbit
was watching. he squeezed through
The hole in the stump. Even for Peter
Mink the hole was almost too small.
But he managed to squirm through.
though it cost him few groans; and
he said some words that made Mr..
Rabbit shake his head
Well. as soon as Peter was inside
the hole he began to push the money
through it. And then what do you
suppose Mr.. Rabbit did? He crept up
TO the stump. picked up the bag.
which Peter had left on the ground,
and as fast as the money rolled out
OF the hole. Mr.. Rabbit put it in
side the bag.
The bag was almost full when the
money stopped rolling out of the
hole. And Mr.. Rabbit heard Peter
Mink say to himself:
That seems to be all!'
And as soon as he heard that, Mr..
Rabbit hurried away, with the bag
of money over his shoulder.
Peter Mink waited a bit, to see If
he could find more money. But he
had thrown it all out. SO he squeezed
through the hole again. Then he
turned to pick up the bag. But it had
vanished. y .*
"That's oueerr' said Peter Mink.
Il thought I left that bag right here"
He looked all around, but he couldn't
find it anywhere. So he took off his
ragged coat and laid it on the
ground. I'll put the money in this!"
Peter said. a.
But when he looked for the money
he couldn't find a single piece.
That's queer!' said Peter. ut
must have rolled away from the
stump" And he began to search all
about. But the money. too, had van
ished completely. And Peter Mink
couldn't understand it.
The following night. when every
body came back again. expecting that
Peter Mink would bring the poor
boy with him to get the money, Peter
never appeared at all.
Finally Mr.. Rabbit jumped on .op
OF the stump and told his friends
what had happened the night be-
fore.
"And now." he said. Everybody
can come right up here and get his
money back, for there's no doubt
at all that Peter Mink was collect
ing it for himelf. He was the poor
boy he told US about"
Everybody was surprised. But
everybody was glad to get his money
again. In fact. there was only one
person who grumbled; and that was
Uncle Jerry Chuck. He hurried up
to the stump ahead of all the rest, to
get some money And he seemed
more surprised than ever when Mr..
Rabbit said there was no money
there for him.
II was at the lecture last night"
Uncle Jerry said.
But you left before the money
was collected" Mr.. Rabbit replied.
Uncle Jerry admitted that that
was so. But he claimed that he had
made less trouble for everybody, be-
cause no one had been obliged to
handle the money that he hadn't
given. &
But Mr.. Rabbit told him he ought
to be ashamed of himself. And every
one will say that Peter Mink ought
TO have been ashamed of himself,
too.
Copyright. Groeset d Dunlap.