"'What good does it do to wash my food, if I eat it out of dirty
hands?' said Mr. Coon to himself, and he hurried to a quiet little
pool to give them a good scrubbing. Then he washed his face and
brushed his coat. 'Now I feel better, and I know my supper will taste
better,' said he.

"From that time he began to be particular, very particular, about
keeping himself clean, until finally there was no one on the Green
Meadows or in the Green Forest quite so neat as Mr. Coon.

"Now at this time Mr. Coon had a very plain tail. It was all of one
color, a grayish white, not at all pretty. Mr. Coon used to think a
great deal about that tail and wish and wish that it was handsome.
Sometimes he used to envy Mr. Fox his beautiful red tail with its
black and white tip. One day, as he sat on an old log with his chin in
his hands, thinking about his tail, who should come along but Old
Mother Nature.

"'Good morning, Mr. Coon,' said she in her pleasantest voice.

"Mr. Coon got up and made a very low bow. 'Good morning, Mother
Nature,' he replied in his politest manner, which was very polite
indeed.

"'What were you thinking about so hard?' asked Old Mother Nature.

"Mr. Coon looked a little bit ashamed. Then he sighed. 'I was wishing
that my tail was handsomer,' said he. 'But it is a very good tail as
it is,' he added hastily.