good look at Mr. Kinglet you could see that he always wore
a bright red crown. He was very modest about his crown, and generally
wore it so that only a little of it showed. But whenever he went out
to fight, as the forest-people are often obliged to, that beautiful
red crown might be seen as plain as could be.

Now, it happened that Mrs. Kinglet heard Mr. and Mrs. Hawk talking to
each other, as they tried to capture Frisky Squirrel, and she heard
the other forest-people shouting, too. So she called to Mr. Kinglet
that somebody seemed to be in trouble; and he came hurrying up at
once.

When the little frightened wren screamed, Mr. Kinglet made up his mind
that it was time for him to do something. And he pushed his red crown
up on the top of his head where it would show better and he flew
straight toward Mr. Hawk.

Mr. Kinglet flew up over Mr. Hawk's head, and then he darted down and
lighted right in the middle of Mr. Hawk's broad back, and began
pecking him as hard as he could with his sharp little bill.

Mr. Hawk stopped trying to catch Frisky. He had all he wanted to do to
shake that bold little fellow off his back. And though Mrs. Hawk still
swooped down at Frisky Squirrel, brave Mr. Kinglet's brave little wife
began to fly at _her_ so fiercely that Mrs. Hawk couldn't keep Frisky
from reaching the tree where he lived.

He was very glad to get home, you may be sure. And he dived in through
the door and was out of sight in no time. But pretty soon he stuck his
head out again to see what was happening. Mr. and Mrs. Hawk had
vanished. And all the forest-people were thanking Mr. and Mrs. Kinglet
for driving them away. Frisky Squirrel thanked them, too. And when he
remembered how he had sometimes teased Mrs. Kinglet by visiting her
nest he felt very much ashamed, and he promised himself that he would
never trouble her again.

VIII

Uncle Sammy Coon

One day Frisky Squirrel was looking for something to eat in the woods,
when whom should he meet but Uncle Sammy Coon, a good-for-nothing old
fellow who lived over in the swamp.

"Well, young man!" said Uncle Sammy, "what are you doing here?"

"I'm trying to find a few seeds to eat," Frisky explained.

"I know where there's some corn," said Uncle Sammy Coon. "It's last
year's corn, to be sure; but it's good, just the same."

"Where is it?" Frisky asked him.

"Hm--" said Uncle Sammy. "If I told you would you get some of it for
me? It would be easy for a sp