Mother West Wind "Where" StoriesBurgess, Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo)
General
Mother West Wind "Where" Stories
Burgess, Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo)
Animals -- Juvenile fiction
"And so," continued Digger, "Big-Horn didn't have anything to do with a
really, truly chip, but just went about always trying to get somebody to
fight with him. It wasn't that Big-Horn was ugly. He wasn't. You see Old
Mother Nature had given him great strength. Yes, Sir, for his size
Big-Horn was very strong, and in that strength be took great pride. And
Mother Nature had given him a pair of very large and strong horns with
which to defend himself if there should be need. Those horns were almost
straight, and with Big-Horn's great strength behind them, they were
truly dangerous weapons. He didn't think of that. No, Sir, he didn't
think of that. He was just brimming full of life, and he dearly loved to
try his strength against the strength of others. It got so that the
instant he saw anybody, down would go his head and at them he would go
full tilt.
"It was great fun--for him. Sometimes he got the worst of it, as when
Old King Bear stepped aside at the very last instant and hit him such a
clip with his great paw that Big-Horn was sent rolling over and over and
lost his breath for a few minutes. But usually it was the other who got
the worst of it, for those great, sharp-pointed horns of Big-Horn's tore
and hurt. Indeed, even when he tried to be gentle with those smaller
than himself he was forever hurting some one.
"Finally some of his neighbors wished to go to Old Mother Nature and
complain about Big-Horn, but others were against this plan because they
knew that Old Mother Nature was quite loaded down with cares and worries
as it was. So instead they called a meeting to which everybody except
Big-Horn was invited. If Big-Horn could have heard all that was said
about him, his ears surely would have burned. Every one was of the
opinion that something must be done, but just what no one could suggest.
At last, just when it seemed that the meeting would break up without
anything being done, Old Man Coyote stepped forward. Now Old Man Coyote
already was known as a very clever fellow, more clever even than Mr.
Fox, though it would never have done to say so where it would get back
to the ears of Mr. Fox.
"'Friends and neighbors,' said Old Man Coyote, 'it seems to me a very
simple matter to teach Neighbor Big-Horn a lesson that he will not soon
forget. Being rather bashful, I haven't liked to suggest it before,
because I thought surely some one else would do it. I suggest that some
one be selected to fight Big-Horn, and when that one can fight no
longer, some one else be selected to fight him, and so on until he gets
tired, and some one can whip him. Then I think he will have had enough
of fighting.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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