ld is very good to me!"

By and by Happy Jack came to the hollow tree that Farmer Brown's boy
had cut down because he thought that Unc' Billy Possum was inside of
it.

"Hello!" exclaimed Happy Jack. "That's one of the old storehouses of
my cousin, Chatterer the Red Squirrel! I've got an old storehouse near
here, and I guess I'll see if I have left any nuts in it."

He scampered over to another hollow tree standing near. He scampered
up the tree as only Happy Jack can and whisked in at the open doorway
of the hollow. Now Happy Jack had been in that hollow tree so often
that he didn't once think of looking to see where he was going, and he
landed plump on something that was soft and warm! Happy Jack was so
surprised that he didn't know what to do for a second. And then all in
a flash that something soft and warm was full of sharp claws and
sharper teeth, and an angry growling tilled the hollow tree.

Happy Jack was so frightened that he scrambled out as fast as he
could. When he was safely outside, he grew very angry to think that
any one should be in his storehouse, even if it was an old one. He
could hear a very angry voice inside, and in a minute who should
appear at the doorway but Unc' Billy Possum.

Unc' Billy had been waked out of a sound sleep, and that was enough
to make any one cross. Besides, he had been badly frightened, and that
made him crosser still.

"What do yo' mean by trying to frighten honest people?" snapped Unc'
Billy, when he caught sight of Happy Jack.

"What do you mean by stealing into other folk's houses?" demanded
Happy Jack, just as angrily.

XXIV

HAPPY JACK SQUIRREL HELPS UNC' BILLY POSSUM

It is very startling, very startling indeed, to rush into your own
storehouse, which you had supposed was empty, and run right into some
one sleeping there as if he owned it. It is enough to make any one
lose his temper. Happy Jack Squirrel lost his.

And it is very startling, very startling, indeed, to be wakened out of
pleasant dreams of warm summer days by having some one suddenly jump
on you. It is enough to make any one lose his temper. Unc' Billy
Possum lost his.

So Happy Jack sat outside on a branch of the hollow tree where his old
storehouse was and scolded, and called Unc' Billy Possum names, and
jerked his tail angrily with every word he said. And Unc' Billy Possum
sat in the doorway of the hollow tree and showed his teeth to Happy
Jack and said unpleasant things. It rea