It was a warm afternoon, and I, Tommy the Turtle, was contemplating the joys of having a picnic, but I just didn’t know how to set about it. It seemed such a big task to plan everything by myself. That is, I said by myself, but really, I did not mean that. You know, I didn’t mean to do it alone if I could help it—only I wanted to find out from myself first what I needed before I asked some one else to help me.
So there I was, thinking hard when who should come hopping up but my friend, Mister Rabbit. You know he is a very funny fellow. He goes hop, hop, hopping just about as fast as he can, without stopping to look where he is going. So, when he came along all out of breath, and stopped to talk to me, it was only natural that I should ask him to help me about my picnic.
“I’m afraid I can’t help you any,” he said, “because I’m going off on a picnic myself this very afternoon.” And then he tried to hop off without telling when or where his picnic was to take place.
“Then don’t you see,” I said, “that you won’t get any help when you need it? Wouldn’t it be better if you came to my picnic, and took your friends with you? Have you asked any one yet?”
“No, I haven’t,” he said, and he scratched his head. “But that is a good idea. I will go and tell my friends about it now.”
So off he went, hop, hop, hopping, and I sat and thought what I should want for my picnic.
When Mr. Rabbit returned, he said he had told all his friends about my picnic, and they were all going to come. And then he told me what I should need. The more we talked about it, the better it began to sound. I, of course, was going to bring the lunch myself, and Mister Rabbit said he would go and ask Miss Porcupine to get Aunt Polly Parrot’s children to help, because they could all fly. This was very kind and thoughtful of him.
Then we talked of where we should hold the picnic, and after thinking over a good many places we decided to have it down by the lake, where we now are, or rather, where we will be on Wednesday afternoon next at three o’clock.
So I wrote out all the notes you see, and I hope you are coming to enjoy my grandfather’s lovely fresh salad and the jolly time we shall have.