and Mr. Crow knew Jack Rabbit didn't get up
so soon, and he made up his mind he wouldn't wake him when he got there,
but would just take a look over his nice garden and come away again. So
when he got to Mr. Rabbit's back fence he climbed through a crack, and
sat down in the weeds to rest a little and to look around, and he saw
that Mr. Rabbit's house was just as still and closed up as could be,
and no signs of Jack Rabbit anywhere.

So then Mr. Crow stepped out into the corn patch and looked along at the
rows of fine roasting ears, which made him feel sad because of those
little nubbins in his own garden, and then he saw the fine fat pease and
beans and salads in Jack Rabbit's garden, and it seemed to him that Mr.
Rabbit could never in the world use up all those things himself.

[Illustration: MR. CROW DECIDED TO THIN OUT A FEW OF JACK RABBIT'S
THINGS]

Then Mr. Crow decided that he would thin out a few of Jack Rabbit's
things, which seemed to be too thick anyway to do well. It would be too
bad to disturb Mr. Rabbit to tell him about it, and Mr. Crow didn't have
time to wait for him to get up if he was going to get his dinner ready
on time.

So Mr. Crow picked some large ears of corn and some of Mr. Rabbit's best
pease and beans and salads, and filled his apron with all he could
carry, and climbed through the back fence again, and took out for home
without wasting any more time. And when he got there Mr. 'Coon and Mr.
'Possum were just getting up, and he didn't bother to tell them about
borrowing from Mr. Rabbit's garden, but set out some breakfast, and as
soon as it was over pitched in to get ready for company. Mr. 'Coon and
Mr. 'Possum flew around, too, to make the room look nice, and by-and-by
everything was ready, and the table was set, and the Hollow Tree People
were all dressed up and looking out the window.

Then pretty soon they saw Mr. Turtle coming through the timber, and just
then Jack Rabbit came in sight from the other direction. Mr. Turtle had
brought a basket of mussels, which always are nice with a big dinner,
like oysters, and Mr. Rabbit said he would have brought some things out
of his garden, only he knew the Hollow Tree People had a garden, too,
this year, and would want to show what they could do in that line
themselves. He said he certainly must take a look at their garden
because he had heard a good deal about it from Mr. Robin.

Then Mr. Crow felt a little chilly, for he happened to think