f course old King Bear wanted
his kingdom and his subjects to look their very best, so he issued a
royal order that every one of the little meadow people and every one of
the little forest folk should wear a new suit on the day that old
Mother Nature was to pay her visit.

"Now like old King Bear, every one wanted to appear his very best
before old Mother Nature, but as no one knew the exact day she was to
come, every one began at once to wear his best suit, and to take the
greatest care of it. Old King Bear appeared every day in a suit of
glossy black. Lightfoot the Deer, threw away his dingy gray suit, and
put on a coat of beautiful red and fawn. Mr. Mink, Mr. Otter, Mr.
Muskrat, Mr. Rabbit, Mr. Woodchuck, Mr. Coon, who you know was first
cousin to old King Bear, Mr. Gray Squirrel, Mr. Fox Squirrel, Mr. Red
Squirrel, all put on brand new suits. Mr. Skunk changed his black and
white stripes for a suit of all black, very handsome, very handsome
indeed. Mr. Chipmunk took care to see that his new suit had the most
beautiful stripes to be obtained.

"Mr. Jay, who was something of a dandy, had a wonderful new coat that
looked for all the world as it if had been cut from the bluest patch of
sky and trimmed with edging taken from the whitest clouds. Even Mr.
Crow and Mr. Owl took pains to look their very best.

"But Mr. Toad couldn't see the need of such a fuss. He thought his
neighbors spent altogether too much time and thought on dress. To be
sure he was anxious to look his best when old Mother Nature came, so he
got a new suit all ready. But Mr. Toad couldn't afford to sit around
in idleness admiring his new clothes. No indeed! Mr. Toad had too
much to do. He was altogether too busy. He had a large garden to take
care of, had Mr. Toad, and work in a garden is very hard on clothes.
So Mr. Toad just wore his old suit over his new one and went on about
his business.

"By and by the great day came when old Mother Nature arrived to inspect
the kingdom of old King Bear. All the little meadow people and all the
little forest folk hastened to pay their respects to old Mother Nature
and to strut about in their fine clothes--all but Mr. Toad. He was so
busy that he didn't even know that old Mother Nature had arrived.

"Late in the afternoon, Mr. Toad stopped to rest. He had just cleared
his cabbage patch of the slugs which threatened to eat up his crop and
he was very tired. Presently he happened to look up the