ied. "I've been chilly all the
morning."

"You'd better go home," Jimmy Rabbit advised him. But Mr. Fox wouldn't
have left for anything.

"Now he's choking!" Mr. Crow said. "I declare, I can't have my picture
painted with such goings-on." And he started to fly away.

But Jimmy Rabbit begged him to stand still just a little longer.

"The picture is almost done," he said. "There!" he added, a bit later.
"It's finished. And I know you'll be pleased."

It was clear that Mr. Fox was pleased, for he was actually beaming.
Jimmy thought he had never seen him look so pleasant. Mr. Crow had to
ask him to stand aside, so _he_ could have a look.

"I should think I might gaze on my own picture," he grumbled.

At first Mr. Crow was delighted. Then he seemed somewhat puzzled.

"The face is good," he said. "And no one could ask for a better picture
of a hat. But there's something that doesn't look quite right." And all
at once Mr. Crow saw what was the matter. And he flew at the picture and
ran his bill through it in a dozen places. "The idea!" he said. "I've
never been so insulted in all my life!" And without another word he flew
out of sight.

It was no wonder that he was angry. For in the picture Jimmy Rabbit had
painted him with four legs!

"Well," said Jimmy, "he needn't be so cross about it. It was his own
fault. He wanted to hold his hat. And I just _had_ to give him more than
one leg to stand on."

[Illustration: 14 Boy Lost!]

14

Boy Lost!

Poor Mrs. Rabbit didn't know what to do. Her son Jimmy had not been home
since early morning; and she was sure he was lost. She hurried through
the woods, looking for him everywhere. But not a trace of him could she
find. No one had seen him.

At last Mrs. Rabbit happened to meet Jasper Jay.

"Have you seen Jimmy?" she asked.

"Yes!" he said. "Right after breakfast I saw him hurrying along the road
by the river. The gypsies have a camp there. And I wouldn't be a bit
surprised if they had stolen him," he added very cheerfully.

When Mrs. Rabbit heard that she was terribly upset.

"Oh, dear! Oh, dear!" she cried. "Whatever shall I do?"

"The usual thing," Jasper Jay told her, "is to offer a reward."

"Is that so?" said Mrs. Rabbit. "I've never done anything like that.
Will you help me?"

"Why, certainly!" said Jasper. And he set to work and painted a big
sign, which looked like this:

LOST, STRAYED, OR STOLEN!

A boy in a checkered suit, with a sho