illy Mink was coming down the bank of the Laughing Brook. Billy Mink
was feeling very good indeed. He had had a good breakfast, the sun was
warm, little white cloud ships were sailing across the blue sky and
their shadows were sailing across the Green Meadows, the birds were
singing and the bees were humming. Billy Mink felt like singing too, but
Billy Mink's voice was not meant for singing.

By and by Billy Mink came to the Smiling Pool. Here the Laughing Brook
stopped and rested on its way to join the Big River. It stopped its
noisy laughing and singing and just lay smiling and smiling in the warm
sunshine. The little flowers on the bank leaned over and nodded to it.
The beech tree, which was very old, sometimes dropped a leaf into it.
The cat-tails kept their feet cool in the edge of it.

Billy Mink jumped out on the Big Rock and looked down into the Smiling
Pool. Over on a green lily pad he saw old Grandfather Frog.

"Hello, Grandfather Frog," said Billy Mink.

"Hello, Billy Mink," said Grandfather Frog. "What mischief are you up to
this fine sunny morning?"

Just then Billy Mink saw a little brown head swimming along one edge of
the Smiling Pool.

"Hello, Jerry Muskrat!" shouted Billy Mink.

"Hello your own self, Billy Mink," shouted Jerry Muskrat, "Come in and
have a swim; the water's fine!"

"Good," said Billy Mink. "We'll have a swimming party."

So Billy Mink called all the Merry Little Breezes of Old Mother West
Wind, who were playing with the flowers on the bank, and sent them to
find Little Joe Otter and invite him to come to the swimming party.
Pretty soon back came the Little Breezes and with them came Little Joe
Otter.

"Hello, Billy Mink," said Little Joe Otter. "Here I am!"

"Hello, Little Joe Otter," said Billy Mink. "Come up here on the Big
Rock and see who can dive the deepest into the Smiling Pool."

So Little Joe Otter and Jerry Muskrat climbed up on the Big Rock side of
Billy Mink and they all stood side by side in their little brown bathing
suits looking down into the Smiling Pool.

"Now when I count three we'll all dive into the Smiling Pool together
and see who can dive the deepest. One!" said Billy Mink. "Two!" said
Billy Mink. "Three!" said Billy Mink.

And when he said "Three!" in they all went head first. My such a splash
as they did make! They upset old Grandfather Frog so that he fell off
his lily pad. They frightened Mr. and Mrs. Trout so that they jumped
right out of th