"Never knew it was me! Who did you think it was?"

"A--a squirrel!" Fatty said faintly. And he whimpered a little, because
his paw hurt him.

"Ho, ho! That's a good one! That's a good joke!" The tramp coon laughed
heartily. And then he scowled so fiercely that poor Fatty nearly tumbled
out of the tree. "You go home," he said to Fatty. "And don't you let me
catch you around here again. You hear?"

"Yes, sir!" Fatty said. And home he went. And you may be sure that he
let THAT tree alone after that. He never went near it again.




V

FATTY COON GOES FISHING


One day Fatty Coon was strolling along the brook which flowed not far
from his home. He stopped now and then, to crouch close to the water's
edge, in the hope of catching a fish. And one time, when he lay quite
still among the rocks, at the side of a deep pool, with his eyes
searching the clear water, Fatty Coon suddenly saw something bright, all
yellow and red, that lighted on the water right before him. It was a
bug, or a huge fly. And Fatty was very fond of bugs--to eat, you know.
So he lost no time. The bright thing had scarcely settled on the water
when Fatty reached out and seized it. He put it into his mouth, when the