It was Old Mr. Toad hopping down the Crooked Little Path for his life , while after him , and getting nearer and nearer , glided Mr. Blacksnake . XVIII JIMMY SKUNK IS JUST IN TIME Jimmy Skunk ambled slowly along , chuckling as he thought of what a hurry Mr. Toad had been in , when he had heard that Mr. Blacksnake had asked after him . It had been funny , very funny indeed , to see Mr. Toad try to hurry . Suddenly Jimmy stopped chuckling . Then he stopped ambling along the Crooked Little Path . He turned around and looked back , and as he did so he scratched his head thoughtfully . He had just happened to think that Old Mr. Toad had gone up the Crooked Little Path , and it was up the Crooked Little Path that Mr. Blacksnake had shown himself that morning . `` If he 's still up there , '' thought Jimmy , `` Old Mr. Toad is hopping right straight into the very worst kind of trouble . How stupid of him not to have asked me where Mr. Blacksnake was ! Well , it 's none of my business . I guess I 'll go on . '' But he had gone on down the Crooked Little Path only a few steps when he stopped again . You see , Jimmy is really a very kind-hearted little fellow , and somehow he did n't like to think of what might happen to Old Mr. Toad . `` I hate to go way back there , '' he grumbled , for you know he is naturally rather lazy . `` Still , the Green Meadows would n't be quite the same without Old Mr. Toad . I should miss him if anything happened to him . I suppose it would be partly my fault , too , for if I had n't pulled over that piece of bark , he probably would have stayed there the rest of the day and been safe . '' `` Maybe he wo n't meet Mr. Blacksnake , '' said a little voice inside of Jimmy . `` And maybe he will , '' said Jimmy right out loud . And with that , he started back up the Crooked Little Path , and strange to say Jimmy hurried .
He had just reached a turn in the Crooked Little Path when who should run right plump XXXXX him but poor Old Mr. Toad .
If after along as for into of out to with