XIII FATTY MEETS JIMMY RABBIT

 For once Fatty Coon was not hungry. He had eaten so much of Farmer

Green's corn that he felt as if he could not swallow another mouthful.

He was strolling homewards through the woods when someone called to him.

It was Jimmy Rabbit.

"Where are you going, Fatty?" Jimmy Rabbit asked.

 

"Home!" said Fatty.

 

"Are you hungry?" Jimmy Rabbit asked anxiously.

 

"I should say not!" Fatty answered. "I've just had the finest meal I ever ate in my life."

 

Jimmy Rabbit seemed to be relieved to hear that.

 

"Come on over and play," he said. "My brother and I are playing barber-shop over in the old sycamore tree; and we need you."

 

"All right!" said Fatty. It was not often that any of the smaller forest-people were willing to play with him, because generally Fatty couldn't help getting hungry and then he usually tried to eat his playmates. "What do you need me for?" Fatty asked, as he trudged¹ along beside Jimmy Rabbit.

 

"We need you for the barber's pole," Jimmy explained. "You can come inside the hollow tree and stick your tail out through a hole. It will make a fine barber's pole—though the stripes DO run the wrong way, to be sure."

 

Fatty Coon was greatly pleased. He looked around at his tail and felt very proud.

 

"I've got a beautiful tail—haven't I?" he asked.

 

"Um—yes!" Jimmy Rabbit replied, "though I must say it isn't one that I would care for myself… But come along! There may be people waiting to get their hair cut."

 

Sure enough! When they reached the make-believe barber-shop there was a gray squirrel inside, and Jimmy Rabbit's brother was busily snipping² the fur off Mr. Squirrel's head.

 

"How much do you charge for a hair-cut?" Fatty asked.

 

"Oh, that depends!" Jimmy Rabbit said. "Mr. Squirrel will pay us six cabbage leaves. But if we were to cut your hair we'd have to ask more. We'd want a dozen cabbage leaves, at least."

 

"Well, don't I get anything for the use of my tail?" Fatty asked. He had already stuck it out through the hole; and he had half a mind to pull it in again.

 

Jimmy Rabbit and his brother whispered together for a few moments.

 

"I'll tell you what we'll do," Jimmy said. "If you'll let us use your tail for the barber's pole, we'll cut your hair free. Isn't that fair enough?"

 

Fatty Coon was satisfied. But he insisted that Jimmy begin to cut his hair at once.

 

"I'm doing my part of the work now," he pointed³ out. "So there's no reason why you shouldn't do yours."

 

With that Jimmy Rabbit began. He clipped and snipped⁴ at Fatty's head, pausing now and then to see the effect. He smiled once in a while, behind Fatty's back, because Fatty certainly did look funny with his fur all ragged⁵ and uneven⁶.

 

"Moustache trimmed?" Jimmy Rabbit asked, when he had finished with

Fatty's head.

"Certainly—of course!" Fatty Coon answered. And pretty soon Fatty's long white moustache lay on the floor of the barber-shop. Fatty felt a bit uneasy as he looked down and saw his beautiful moustache lying at his feet. "You haven't cut it too short, I hope," he said.

 

"No, indeed!" Jimmy Rabbit assured him. "It's the very latest style."

 

"What on earth has happened to you?" Mrs. Coon cried,—when Fatty reached home that night. "Have you been in a fire?"

 

"It's the latest style, Mother," Fatty told her. "At least, that's what

Jimmy Rabbit says." He felt the least bit uneasy again.

"Did you let that Jimmy Rabbit do that to you?" Mrs. Coon asked.

 

Fatty hung his head. He said nothing at all. But his mother knew.

 

"Well! you ARE a sight!" she exclaimed. "It will be months before you look like my child again. I shall be ashamed to go anywhere with you."

 

Fatty Coon felt very foolish. And there was just one thing that kept him from crying. And THAT was THIS: he made up his mind that when he played barber-shop with Jimmy Rabbit again he would get even with him.

 

But when the next day came, Fatty couldn't find Jimmy Rabbit and his brother anywhere. They kept out of sight. But they had told all the other forest-people about the trick they had played on Fatty Coon. And everywhere Fatty went he heard nothing but hoots⁷ and jeers⁸ and laughs. He felt very silly. And he wished that he might meet Jimmy Rabbit and his brother.

1 trudged   

vt.& vi.跋涉，吃力地走（trudge的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He trudged the last two miles to the town. 他步履艰难地走完最后两英里到了城里。
• He trudged wearily along the path. 他沿着小路疲惫地走去。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 snipping   

n.碎片v.剪( snip的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The crew had been snipping it for souvenirs. 舰上人员把它剪下来当作纪念品。 来自辞典例句
• The gardener is snipping off the dead leaves in the garden. 花匠在花园时剪枯叶。 来自互联网

3 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

4 snipped   

v.剪( snip的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He snipped off the corner of the packet. 他将包的一角剪了下来。 来自辞典例句
• The police officer snipped the tape and untied the hostage. 警方把胶带剪断，松绑了人质。 来自互联网

5 ragged   

adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的

参考例句：

• A ragged shout went up from the small crowd.这一小群人发出了刺耳的喊叫。
• Ragged clothing infers poverty.破衣烂衫意味着贫穷。

6 uneven   

adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的

参考例句：

• The sidewalk is very uneven—be careful where you walk.这人行道凹凸不平—走路时请小心。
• The country was noted for its uneven distribution of land resources.这个国家以土地资源分布不均匀出名。

7 hoots   

咄，啐

参考例句：

• His suggestion was greeted with hoots of laughter. 他的建议引起了阵阵嗤笑。
• The hoots came from the distance. 远处传来呜呜声。

8 jeers   

n.操纵帆桁下部（使其上下的）索具；嘲讽( jeer的名词复数 )v.嘲笑( jeer的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• They shouted jeers at him. 他们大声地嘲讽他。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The jeers from the crowd caused the speaker to leave the platform. 群众的哄笑使讲演者离开讲台。 来自辞典例句