Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Charles Franks and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team MRS. PETER RABBIT By Thornton W. Burgess Illustrations by Harrison Cady 1919 TO MY DAUGHTER WHOSE ASSISTANCE IN THE PREPARATION OF THIS VOLUME HAS BEEN INVALUABLE IT IS MOST AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED CONTENTS CHAPTER I PETER RABBIT LOSES HIS APPETITE II PETER RABBIT PLANS A JOURNEY III HOOTY THE OWL CHANGES HIS HUNTING GROUNDS IV THE SHADOW WITH SHARP CLAWS V IN THE OLD PASTURE VI PETER RABBIT IS STILL LONESOME VII PETER FINDS TRACKS VIII THE STRANGE TRACKS IN THE OLD PASTURE IX AN UNPLEASANT SURPRISE X PETER RABBIT ALMOST DECIDES TO RETURN HOME XI PETER RABBIT HAS A SUDDEN CHANGE OF MIND XII PETER LEARNS SOMETHING FROM TOMMY TIT XIII LITTLE MISS FUZZYTAIL XIV SOME ONE FOOLS OLD JED THUMPER XV A PLEASANT SURPRISE FOR PETER XVI PETER RABBIT'S LOOKING-GLASS XVII PETER MEETS MISS FUZZYTAIL XVIII TOMMY TIT PROVES A FRIEND INDEED XIX OLD MAN COYOTE PAYS A DEBT XX LITTLE MISS FUZZYTAIL WHISPERS “YES” XXI PETER AND LITTLE MISS FUZZYTAIL LEAVE THE OLD PASTURE XXII SAMMY JAY BECOMES CURIOUS XXIII PETER INTRODUCES MRS. PETER XXIV DANNY MEADOW MOUSE WARNS PETER RABBIT XXV PETER RABBIT'S HEEDLESSNESS XXVI PETER RABBIT LISTENS TO MRS. PETER XXVII MISTAH MOCKER PLAYS A JOKE ON MRS. PETER XXVIII NEWS FROM THE OLD BRIAR-PATCH XXIX JIMMY SKUNK VISITS PETER RABBIT XXX REDDY FOX LEARNS THE SECRET XXXI BLACKY THE CROW HAS SHARP EYES XXXII PETER RABBIT'S NURSERY LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Every one who could walk, creep, or fly headed for the Old Briar-patch ..... Frontispiece He dodged and jumped, and all the time the shadow followed him That night Old Man Coyote started for the Old Pasture “The quickest way for me to know is for you to tell me,” replied Jimmy CHAPTER I PETER RABBIT LOSES HIS APPETITE Good appetite, you'll always find, Depends upon your state of mind. --Peter Rabbit. Peter Rabbit had lost his appetite. Now when Peter Rabbit loses his appetite, something is very wrong indeed with him. Peter has boasted that he can eat any time and all the time. In fact, the two things that Peter thinks most about are his stomach and satisfying his curiosity, and nearly all of the scrapes that Peter has gotten into have been because of those two things. So when Peter loses his appetite or his curiosity, there is surely something the matter with him.