really couldn't tell whether he has a tail or
not," replied Peter quite truthfully. "At first I thought he hadn't,
and then I thought he might have. If he has, it doesn't seem to me
that it is enough to call a really truly tail."

"Well, it is a really truly tail, even if you don't think so,"
retorted Grandfather Frog, "and he has it for a reminder."

"A reminder!" exclaimed Peter, looking very much puzzled. "A reminder
of what?"

Grandfather Frog cleared his throat two or three times. "Sit down,
Peter, and learn a lesson from the tale of the tail of Old King Bear,"
said he very seriously.

"You remember that once upon a time, long ago, when the world was
young, Old King Bear ruled in the Green Forest, and everybody brought
tribute to him."

Peter nodded and Grandfather Frog went on.

"Now Old King Bear was the great-great-ever-so-great grandfather of
Buster Bear, and he looked very much as Buster does, except that he
didn't have any tail at all, not the least sign of a tail. At first,
before he was made king of the Green Forest, he didn't mind this at
all. In fact, he was rather pleased that he didn't have a tail. You
see, he couldn't think of any earthly use he would have for a tail,
and so he was glad that he hadn't got one to bother with.

"This was just Old Mother Nature's view of the matter. She had done
her very best to give everybody everything that they really needed,
and not to give them things which they didn't need. She couldn't see
that Mr. Bear had the least need of a tail, and so she hadn't given
him one. Mr. Bear was perfectly happy without one, and was so busy
getting enough to eat that he didn't have time for silly thoughts or
vain wishes.

"Then he was made king over all the people of the Green Forest, and
his word was law. It was a very great honor, and for a while he felt
it so and did his best to rule wisely. He went about just as before,
hunting for his living, and had no more time than before for foolish
thoughts or vain wishes. But after a little, the little people over
whom he ruled began to bring him tribute, so that he no longer had to
hunt for enough to eat. Indeed, he had so much brought to him, that he
couldn't begin to eat all of it, and he grew very dainty and fussy
about what he did eat. Having nothing to do but eat and sleep, he grew
very fat and lazy, as is the case with most people who have nothing to
do. He grew so fat that when he walked, he puffed and wheezed. He grew
s