"Yesterday the train stopped because it saw
your red coat. That's the way to stop a train. You wave a red flag or a
red lantern at a train and it will always stop. But I've noticed that a
train pays no attention to any other color. Now, you could wave something
green, or yellow, or blue in front of a train; and no matter how hard
you waved, it would go right on as if it never saw you at all."
"Maybe you know," Mr. Crow snapped. "And maybe you don't. I said the
train was afraid to stop. And I still think so."
Jimmy Rabbit winked at the crowd in the tree.
"I must hop along now," he told them. "I'm glad I came to see the race,
for it has been even more fun than I expected."
Then Jasper Jay gave Mr. Crow a great start.
"It's too bad--" he said--"it's too bad you can't wear your red coat any
more, Mr. Crow."
"How's that?" asked Mr. Crow quickly.
"You promised that if we didn't say it was a good joke you'd never wear a
checkered red coat again."
Now, Mr. Crow had forgotten all about that remark. And for a moment he
looked worried. Then he turned cheerful all at once.
"Look here!" he cried. "When I came back to this tree you all laughed,
didn't you?"
Everybody admitted that.
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