<div class="figcenter"> <SPAN name="XV" id="XV" /> <ANTIMG src="images/illus-xv-p085.jpg" width-obs="321" height-obs="170" alt="PETERS NEW COAT" title="PETERS NEW COAT" /></div>
<p><span class="smcap">Perhaps</span> you never heard how Mr. Mink
lost his tail in the woods, and how Jimmy
Rabbit found it and wore it until Mr.
Mink came along and took the tail away
from him.</p>
<p>Peter Mink knew all about it, anyhow,
for Mr. Mink was his uncle. And Peter
knew that Jimmy Rabbit was still on the
lookout for a fine, bushy tail.</p>
<p>So one day when Peter met Jimmy Rabbit
he told Jimmy that if he would go to a
certain place, near Broad Brook, he might
find something that would interest him.</p>
<p>"You'll find a small place where the<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_86" id="Page_86"></SPAN></span>
earth has been stirred up," Peter said,
"if you look exactly where I tell you to.
There's something hidden there. And I
won't say just what it is. It might be a
tail; and then again, it might not," Peter
told him. "Anyhow, if you go and dig
in that spot, I know you won't hurry
away, when you find what's there."</p>
<p>Now, Jimmy Rabbit ought to have
known Peter Mink well enough to suspect
that there was something wrong. But the
moment he heard the word "tail" he
couldn't start for Broad Brook fast
enough.</p>
<p>It took him some time to find the place
Peter Mink had described, for a light
snow had covered the ground. But at last
Jimmy discovered the loose earth, exactly
as Peter had said.</p>
<p>Jimmy Rabbit was just going to begin
to dig when some one called his name. And<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_87" id="Page_87"></SPAN></span>
he jumped back quickly and looked all
around. At first he could see no one. But
after a moment he saw some one beckoning
to him. It was Paddy Muskrat. He had
crawled out of the brook just in time to
stop Jimmy Rabbit before it was too late.</p>
<p>"What are you going to do?" Paddy
Muskrat asked.</p>
<p>"I'm going to dig in this dirt," Jimmy
explained. "I believe there's a tail hidden
there. I need one, you know. And Peter
Mink told me——"</p>
<p>"Peter Mink!" Paddy interrupted.
"I'd advise you to have nothing to do
with Peter Mink. Because sooner or later
he'll get you into trouble.... Do you
know what's hidden beneath that dirt?
I'll tell you: it's a trap! Johnnie Green
set it there, thinking he could catch <i>me</i> in
it. But I saw him when he buried it. And
I wouldn't go near it for anything."</p>
<p class="flat"><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_88" id="Page_88"></SPAN></span></p>
<p>As soon as Jimmy heard the word
"trap" he couldn't get away from that
place fast enough. He turned and ran off
in great bounds; and he never even stopped
to thank Paddy Muskrat for warning
him. Now, that was not like Jimmy at all.
But you see, he was frightened.</p>
<p>Paddy Muskrat was a wise little chap.
And though he had said he wouldn't go
near the trap for anything, he thought it
was about time somebody fixed the trap
so it couldn't do any harm. And very
carefully he scraped the dirt away from it.</p>
<p>"There!" he said to himself. "Now
everybody can see it. And no one will get
caught." Then he jumped into Broad
Brook again and swam away.</p>
<p>Not long afterwards a slim figure came
stealing through the woods. It was Peter
Mink; and he had a bag in his hand. He
expected to use the bag, too. For he was<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_89" id="Page_89"></SPAN></span>
very sure that he would find Jimmy Rabbit
fast in the trap and he intended to
put him in the bag and drag him away.</p>
<p>Peter was disappointed when he saw
that the trap was empty. And he wondered
what had happened.</p>
<p>"Well, here's the bag, anyhow," he said
to himself. "I've got that!" And he sat
down and made a hole in the bag for his
head, and two more for his arms, and drew
the bag on. It fitted him very well.</p>
<p>"Why, here I've a new coat!" he said.
"I see now that the bag would have been
much too small to hold Jimmy Rabbit. So
it's just as well he didn't get caught in the
trap."</p>
<p>And Peter Mink walked away. He liked
his new coat But probably it wasn't the
kind you would care for at all.</p>
<div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/illus-p089.jpg" width-obs="320" height-obs="57" alt="" title="" /></div>
<hr class="chapter" />
<p class="flat"><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_90" id="Page_90"></SPAN></span></p>
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