Pudgy Mr. Woodchuck saw Tommy just in time. He turned tail and ran for
his life; and he was so spry, though he was quite a fat, elderly
gentleman, that he reached his hole and whisked down out of sight just
as Tommy was about to seize him.

Tommy was disappointed. But he was determined to get that woodchuck,
and he began to dig away at Mr. Woodchuck's hole. You see, Mr.
Woodchuck was smaller than Tommy Fox, and since the underground tunnel
that led to his home was only big enough to admit _him_, Tommy was
obliged to make it larger. Though Mr. Woodchuck's hole was under a
shady oak tree, Tommy found digging to be somewhat warm work, so he
took off his neat, red coat and hung it carefully upon a bush.

He worked very hard, for he was eager to find Mr. Woodchuck. In fact,
the further Tommy dug into the ground the more excited he grew. And he
had just decided that he had almost reached the end of the tunnel, and
that a little more digging would bring him inside of Mr. Woodchuck's
house, when he met with an unexpected check.

To Tommy's dismay, Mr. Woodchuck's tunnel led between two roots of the
big oak, and Tommy could not squeeze between them. He reached his paws
through the narrow opening and crowded his nose in as far as it would
go. But that was all he could do. He did not doubt that somewhere in
beyond, in the darkness, Mr. Woodchuck was having a good laugh because
Tommy had done all that work for nothing.

I am sorry to say that Tommy Fox lost his temper. He called after Mr.
Woodchuck. Yes--he shouted some rather bad names after him. But of
course that didn't do a bit of good. And Tommy Fox put on his coat and