Chapter Seven - The Best News Yet

"My goodness!" said Chippy, a little while later when he saw Webb hopping toward him as quickly as he could. Webb had gone to see if there was any more news about Chimmy. Chippy decided to remain there in case Chimmy returned and to start building a new winter storage area for all of the peanuts that he found. "I wonder what is happening?"
Webb needed a moment to catch his breath. Chippy waited patiently for him to tell him what was going on. "I guess even rabbits can get out of breath sometimes," he decided.
"You have to come immediately!" said Webb excitedly, as soon as he was able to speak. "Come on! Let's go!" he insisted.
"But what if Chimmy comes back and I am not here?" thought Chippy. He decided to trust Webb and to go with him. "After all," he reasoned, "My rabbit friend has not let me down so far."
Webb did not say even one word. He just hopped away very quickly with Chippy scurrying to keep up with him. Obviously, Webb was not going to take the time to tell him where they were going in such a hurry.
When they came to the fence, Chippy realized that they were back at the same yard where he had met the elderly man, the first time. Webb located a large hole under the fence. Both of them dived into it, went under the fence and raced through the big yard towards a truck that was standing in the driveway.
Webb stopped abruptly beside the truck but he was much too short of breath to speak at first. Chippy, also gasping for breath, waited, wondering what was going on as he gazed up at the big truck.
There was a huge white box on the back of the truck. The sign on its side, painted over a picture of some fruit and vegetables, read, "Herb's Garden! Fresh produce...we aim to please!"
Chippy did not quite understand why Webb had brought him here. "Is this the truck?" he wondered. "I hope, I hope!"
Rudy appeared suddenly, as if out of nowhere. "This is it! This is the truck!" he explained to Chippy before Chippy even had a chance to ask any questions. "Yes, we found Chimmy. He is inside the box on the back of the truck. He must have gotten in there before the truck left to go to the market."
Chippy was overjoyed but only for a moment as he saw the big padlock on the back of the truck.
"I think he is probably asleep," said Rudy. "But he is in there. I know........." He was just about to tell Chippy that he had used his reindeer radar to find him, when suddenly a dog barked. "I have to go!" he said and raced across the yard toward the fence. He jumped over the fence and disappeared into the forest.
Webb made a dash for the hole under the fence while Chippy climbed over the top of it. He had forgotten that he was afraid of heights.
It was not a moment too soon either as the dog was right behind them. Fortunately, he was too large to get through the hole in the fence. But he had spotted them and now they could hear him just on the other side of the fence.
"What are we going to do?" asked Chippy, as he scurried behind Webb back into the forest."
"I don't know," replied Webb. "For now, Chimmy is safe."
"So are we," thought Chippy, as he breathed a sigh of relief. "At least for now."