of other folks!'
said little Mr. Chipmunk bitterly. 'If I'd just minded my own
business, it wouldn't have happened.'

"Just then he happened to look over to the house of Mr. Meadow Mouse.
There was Mr. Meadow Mouse playing with his children. He didn't know a
thing about what his neighbor, little Mr. Chipmunk, had done for him,
for you remember he hadn't seen Mr. Bob Cat at all. Little Mr.
Chipmunk grinned as well as he could for the pain.

"'I'm glad I did it,' he muttered. 'Yes, Sir, I'm glad I did it, and
I'm glad that Neighbor Meadow Mouse doesn't know about it. I'm glad
that nobody knows about it.

'A kindly deed's most kindly done
In secret wrought, and seen of none.

And so I'm glad that no one knows.'

"Now just imagine how surprised little Mr. Chipmunk was, when in the
fall it came time to put on a new coat, to have Old Mother Nature hand
him out a beautiful striped coat instead of the little plain brown
coat he had expected. Old Mother Nature's eyes twinkled as she said:

"'There's a stripe for every tear made in your old coat by the claws
of Mr. Bob Cat the day you saved Mr. Meadow Mouse. They are honor
stripes, and hereafter you and your children and your children's
children shall always wear stripes.'

"And that is how it happens that Striped Chipmunk comes by his striped
coat, and why he is so proud of it, and takes such good care of it,"
concluded Grandfather Frog.

II

WHY PETER RABBIT CANNOT FOLD HIS HANDS

Happy Jack Squirrel sat with his hands folded across his white
waistcoat. He is very fond of sitting with his hands folded that way.
A little way from him sat Peter Rabbit. Peter was sitting up very
straight, but his hands dropped right down in front. Happy Jack
noticed it.

"Why don't you fold your hands the way I do, Peter Rabbit?" shouted
Happy Jack.

"I--I--don't want to," stammered Peter.

"You mean you can't!" jeered Happy Jack.

Peter pretended not to hear, and a few minutes later he hopped away
towards the dear Old Briar-patch, lipperty-lipperty-lip. Happy Jack
watched him go, and there was a puzzled look in Happy Jack's eyes.

"I really believe he can't fold his hands," said Happy Jack to
himself, but speaking aloud.

"He can't, and none of his family can," said a gruff voice.

Happy Jack turned to find Old Mr. Toad sitting in the Lone Little
Path.

"Why not?" asked Happy Jack.

"Ask Grandfather Frog; he knows," replied Old Mr. Toad, and started on