X

WHY MR. SNAKE CANNOT WINK


Peter Rabbit and Johnny Chuck were playing tag on the Green Meadows.
Of course Peter can run so much faster than Johnny Chuck that he would
never have been "it" if he had tried his best to keep out of the way.
But he didn't. No, Sir, Peter Rabbit didn't do anything of the kind.
He pretended that one of his long hind-legs was lame so that he had to
run on three legs, while Johnny Chuck could use all four. It was great
fun. They raced and dodged and twisted and turned. Sometimes Peter was
so excited that he would forget and use all four legs. Then Johnny
Chuck would shout "No fair!" Peter would say that he didn't mean to,
and to make up for it would be "it" and try to catch Johnny.

Now it happened that curled up on a little grassy tussock, taking an
early morning sun-bath, lay little Mr. Greensnake. Of course Peter
Rabbit and Johnny Chuck were not afraid of him. If it had been Mr.
Rattlesnake or Mr. Gophersnake, it would have been different. But from
little Mr. Greensnake there was nothing to fear, and sometimes, just
for fun, Peter would jump right over him. When he did that, Peter
always winked good-naturedly. But Mr. Greensnake never winked back.
Instead he would raise his head, run his tongue out at Peter, and hiss
in what he tried to make a very fierce and angry manner. Then Peter
would laugh and wink at him again. But never once did Mr. Greensnake
wink back.

[Illustration: He would make no reply, save to run out his tongue at
them.]