it considerably harder than he had up to that
time.

[Illustration: STRAIGHT IN THE AIR]

"Then I tore round by the head pine tree, where Senator Bear lives,
thinking that perhaps the old fellow himself might like to take a hand
in the game, but he wasn't at home. After that I hiked it up Hemlock
Hill, where I could run under the fallen timber and through the thorn
bushes, while he'd have to show what he was able to do in the way of
jumping, or go a long bit around.

"That was the part of the race that broke his heart, and when I
circled over the top, allowing I'd give him a sight of the club's
meeting place, I saw him sitting down trying to pull a thorn out of
his left hind foot. Then I laughed and cut capers till he started down
the hill again on his way home, after which I went off hipperty-hop,
saying to myself that it would do poor little Sonny Bunny a world of
good when I told the story to him.

"Of course I had to go right past the big oak in order to get home,
and when I was there the most sensible thing I could do was to stop
and have a chat with President Crow, for I wanted to tell him how well
I'd served out young Mr. Fox.

"Old Mr. Crow was roosting mighty low that day, talking with Bobby
Coon's brother, and when I told him what had happened he laughed till
the tears got all mixed up with feathers on his cheeks, for he had
heard young Fox telling 'Squire Owl that he was going to make the
Rabbit family look mighty sick as soon as he had time to attend to the
matter.

"Well, after we'd had a good time over what I'd done and when Bobby's
brother had gone away I up and told Mr. Crow that I had to leave the
club that very day, else there'd never be any more peace at home for
me. The news surprised him terribly, as I understood by the way he
kept smoothing out his tail feathers, and it was quite a spell before
he could seem to say anything, but when he did speak it was the kind
of talk that counted.

"'We'll be sorry to lose you from the club, Bunny,' he said, 'for even
though you don't cut any great figure in helping the business along we
can always count on you to do the running about when the House
Committee want to send out notices, or if it is necessary for me to
call a special meeting. Of course I don't want to advise you to do
anything which may make trouble at your home; but it's my solemn
advice for you to leave your name on the rolls till I've had a chance
to talk with Mrs. Bunny. Perhaps she'l