know--Sammy Jay had seen nothing of Unc' Billy Possum. Old Mrs. Possum
sat down with her head in her hands. She was more worried than ever.




XV

THE FOOLISHNESS OF UNC' BILLY POSSUM


If Unc' Billy Possum hadn't happened to look out of his doorway in the
big hollow tree in the Green Forest, or if Jimmy Skunk hadn't happened
to come along just that very minute, or if Unc' Billy hadn't asked
Jimmy where he had been, or if Jimmy hadn't mentioned nice fresh eggs,
Unc' Billy wouldn't have been foolish, and old Mrs. Possum wouldn't
have been worried. But all those things did happen.

After Jimmy Skunk had mentioned his fine breakfast of fresh eggs, Unc'
Billy Possum couldn't think of anything else. He knew well enough
where Jimmy had found those eggs. Yes, indeed, Unc' Billy knew all
about it. He could shut his eyes and just see the inside of Farmer
Brown's hen-house with the rows of hens and roosters sitting on the
roosts at one end, their heads tucked under their wings. He could see
the rows of nests and the beautiful brown eggs in them. Jimmy Skunk
couldn't climb, and so he could have gotten only the eggs in the lower
nests. Now if he, Unc' Billy, had been there, he could have climbed to
the very topmost nest and--but what was the use of thinking about it?
He hadn't been there, and he couldn't go now, because it was daylight.