you can find a way, if
anybody can."

Well, after that remark there was nothing Jimmy Rabbit could do except
to put on his thinking cap. But try as he would, he couldn't hit upon a
single plan.

Now, Nimble Deer had no idea of all the trouble he was causing Jimmy
Rabbit. To be sure, he knew that he was not invited to Jimmy Rabbit's
party. But he was no person to sulk or feel hurt over such a matter.

However, there was one thing that he thought was odd. Wherever he went
he was sure to come upon Jimmy Rabbit. Sometimes Nimble would hear a
faint rustle. And when he looked around he would catch a glimpse of
Jimmy Rabbit ducking out of sight behind a tree. Sometimes Nimble would
be taking a nap under the shelter of a clump of evergreens. And he would
wake up suddenly with a strange feeling that somebody was watching him.
And almost always he would discover Jimmy Rabbit crouching near-by and
staring at him.

At first, at such times, Nimble only spoke pleasantly to Jimmy Rabbit.
Still he couldn't help noticing that Jimmy Rabbit always acted queerly.
He seemed to be absent minded. If Nimble bade him a cheerful good
morning Jimmy Rabbit was likely to reply with a good evening. If Nimble
said, "It's a fine day," Jimmy would say, "Yes! It does look like rain."

At last, one day, Jimmy Rabbit made the oddest answer of all. When
Nimble spied him peering from behind a stump he called, "Hullo! I'm
glad to see you." To which remark Jimmy Rabbit said, "I hope to see
you later."

"Now, I wonder--" Nimble mused--"I wonder what he means." And then
Nimble asked Jimmy Rabbit a question: "Are you feeling well?"

"As well as could be expected!" Jimmy Rabbit told him.

"You don't seem like yourself," said Nimble. "I haven't seen you smile
for over a week."

Then, strangely enough, Jimmy Rabbit jumped into the air and kicked and
smiled.

"At last," he cried, "I feel better. I have solved the problem. Will you
come to my party and help me a week from to-night?"

Nimble Deer thanked him and said that he would.

XXI

AN UNTOLD SECRET

All the field and forest people soon knew that at last Jimmy Rabbit had
invited Nimble Deer to his party. And everybody was pleased--that is,
everybody except Grumpy Weasel and old Timothy Turtle, who were left out
in the cold, so to speak. Grumpy Weasel, when he heard the news, said,
"Humph!" And Timothy Turtle, when he heard it, said, "Ho!" And they both
declared that they were _glad_ the