Mother West Wind Where" Stories"

did when he saw Limberheels for the first time. He was hopping along across the Green Meadows with nothing much on his mind when from right under

t I? And if I did, what

olite to call any one it. He would be quite provoked if he had heard you. That wa

e twinkling at him from the entrance to a tiny little pa

tell me that was a relative of yours? Since wh

huckled again, for he knows that Peter considers himself quite a jumper and is inclined

any Mouse can jump like that? I didn't get a good look at that fell

ute, two minutes, three minutes, and then suddenly Danny poked his head out from the grass beside the path

ly, but such a member as he never had seen before. He was trim and slender. He wore a reddish-brown coat with a white waistcoat. But the things that made Peter stare very impolitely were his tail and his legs. His tail was

Mouse. "Peter is one of my best friends, Limberheels. He wouldn't hurt

jumper you are. Would you mind showing me how you jump? I guess you jumped right in

il you were almost on top of me, and then I didn't know who it was so I got away as quickly

Danny Meadow Mouse. "He wouldn't believ

rse I didn't fly," said he. "No animal can fly

dn't dreamed that any one could jump so far in proportion to his size as this slim, trim little cousin of Danny's. Later, after Limberheels

ver have I seen such a tail. I thought Whitefoot the Wood Mouse h

ed Danny, whose own tail,

ed rather wistfully. "Would yo

y back to the days when the world was young." Then, seeing a look of disappointment on Danny's face, and e

when Old Mother Nature made him and started him out to make his way in the Great World. He was little, one of the smallest of the family, and his tail was short, no longer than mine. His hind legs we

ould be able to jump like that. So he began to spend most of his spare time where he could watch Mr. Hare. One day Old Mother Nature happened along unseen by him,

ranged,' said she. 'If you think long hind legs will be of m

course he was in such a great hurry to try them that he couldn't wait for his breakfast. He began by making little short hops, and in no time at all he was getting about splendidly. At last he got up

, where, or how he was going to land. As long as he made short jumps he had no trouble, but every time he tried a long jump he lost his balance, and try

e your long hind

you,' replied littl

u jump,' said O

all that jumping, do you?' laughed Old Mother Nature. 'With such long, strong legs as I've given

d the usual thing happened-he turned two or three somersaults and landed on his back. Old Mother Natu

to his feet after his tumble. 'It's all my fault,' said she kindly, as he obeyed her. 'It was very stupid of me. What you need is a long tail to balance you on a lo

drew it out until it was long, almost twice as long as the body of litt

Away he sailed straight and true and landed lightly on his feet so far from where he had left t

that that will make you quite the most won

ail, a name, and the ability to out jump all his neighbors," concluded Danny Meadow

myself," dec