side or the other far
enough to see the beauties of our woodland spring. They only know what
the winds tell them."

"Let them think what they like," said a little bush of pretty blossoms.
"It does not hurt Jack-in-the-pulpit if the Evergreens think they are
the preachers of the woods, for all the spring and summer flowers know
that Jack has always been our preacher and the Evergreens haven't any
pulpit to preach from. Only they do not know it."

And so the sleepy old Evergreens thought they were the ones who
awakened the flowers and preached to them about their duty, and no one
ever told them about little Jack-in-the-pulpit, who always has and
always will preach about the spring and summer to all the woodland
dwellers.

MR. CROW GOES AND TELLS

[Illustration: Mr. Crow]

Mr. Coon and Mr. Possum lived near each other in the woods, and one day
they decided to give a supper the first bright moonlight night.

"It will be much easier for us to provide the supper together," said
Mr. Coon, "because we are bachelors and we can help each other."

But the real reason was that Mr. Coon knew that Mr. Possum had some new
tin spoons and all the Coon family love shiny things. He thought he
might be able to slip one or two tin spoons into his pocket and never
be found out, because there would be so many guests that Mr. Possum
would not know which one to suspect when he found it out.

Mr. Possum was delighted to do as Mr. Coon suggested, and they began
making out a list of guests to be invited.

Of course there was Mr. Fox and Mr. Squirrel and Jack Rabbit and Mr.
Owl, who were all bachelors like themselves; so they decided they would
not ask any of the married folks, but call it a bachelor party.

"Old James Crow, who lives in the tree near me, will think he should be
invited, too, I suppose," said Mr. Possum; "but he is such a
quarrelsome old fellow I hate to ask him."

"No, don't ask him," said Mr. Coon, thinking of Mr. Possum's new tin
spoons and remembering that the Crow family were very like his own in
the matter of liking bright and glittering things. "He will never know
we have a party. He goes to bed at sunset, you know."

So it was decided that old James Crow was not to be invited and that
only the bachelors of the wood were to be asked.

A few nights after this the moon shone brightly and over to Mr.
Possum's house they all went.

Now it happened that they began to sing, when they all sat down to the