“However,” Doctor Rabbit said, “possibly he got away.” Then he exclaimed, “I surely _hope_ he got away.”
Doctor Rabbit looked into the holes under the other two trees, and said some small animals had once lived in them.
All this naturally made Doctor Rabbit more and more nervous. It looked as if no animal was safe out so far on the Wide Prairie but fleet Jack Rabbit, and even he had to watch out mighty close.
When they left the last tree, Doctor Rabbit said, “Now let’s run good and fast the rest of the way!”
And they did--hoppity, hoppity, hoppity, so fast that they looked like two long gray streaks going toward Jack Rabbit’s home.
When Doctor Rabbit at last reached Jack Rabbit’s home, he found Billy Rabbit was suffering with nothing more than a case of acute indigestion--that is, colic. Doctor Rabbit said this was caused by Billy’s having eaten too many green peas from Farmer Roe’s garden.
Mrs. Jack Rabbit explained that kind friends and neighbors had brought in all sorts of patent medicines. These medicines, they said, had cured many of their family, even some who had lived before they were born.
“But,” said Mrs. Jack Rabbit, looking seriously at Doctor Rabbit, “although I gave Billy all the medicine they brought, he is no better. In fact, he is worse.”
Doctor Rabbit looked at Billy Rabbit and then looked over his gold glasses at the neighbors and friends standing all around. Then he said, “He grew worse, did he? Ahem! ahem! he grew worse! I see! I see! Well, to tell you the truth, Mrs. Jack Rabbit, after all that dope I should think he _would_ grow worse!”
Well, that was pretty plain. Some of the neighbors wanted to let it be known that they were angry, but they didn’t dare. No, you see their own work on Billy Rabbit was a failure. They had sent for the doctor, and they had to do just what he said.
So they all kept still, and Doctor Rabbit, after he had cleared his throat in a very dignified way, said, “Mrs. Jack Rabbit, I would thank you for a tablespoon.”
When he got the tablespoon, Doctor Rabbit gave Billy Rabbit about the nastiest tasting medicine in the world. Now, guess what it was! _Castor Oil?_ That’s right, you guessed it the first time! Yes, that’s exactly what Doctor Rabbit gave him--a whole tablespoonful.