55
XII Jimmy Skunk and Unc' Billy Possum Meet 61
XIII Jimmy Skunk Explains 66
XIV A Little Something About Eggs 70
XV A Second Meeting 75
XVI A Matter of Politeness 80
XVII Jimmy Skunk Gets a Bump 85
XVIII A Sad, Sad Quarrel 90
XIX Jimmy Skunk is True to His Word 94
XX Farmer Brown's Boy Arrives 98
XXI The Nest-Egg Gives Unc' Billy Away 103
XXII Unc' Billy Possum Tries His Old Trick 108
XXIII Unc' Billy Gives Himself Away 113

THE ADVENTURES OF JIMMY SKUNK

I

PETER RABBIT PLANS A JOKE

The Imp of Mischief, woe is me,
Is always busy as a bee.

That is why so many people are forever getting into trouble. He won't
keep still. No, Sir, he won't keep still unless he is made to. Once let
him get started there is no knowing where he will stop. Peter Rabbit had
just seen Jimmy Skunk disappear inside an old barrel, lying on its side
at the top of the hill, and at once the Imp of Mischief began to
whisper to Peter. Of course Peter shouldn't have listened. Certainly
not. But he did. You know Peter dearly loves a joke when it is on some
one else. He sat right where he was and watched to see if Jimmy would
come out of the barrel. Jimmy didn't come out, and after a little Peter
stole over to the barrel and peeped inside. There was Jimmy Skunk curled
up for a nap.

Peter tiptoed away very softly. All the time the Imp of Mischief was
whispering to him that this was a splendid chance to play a joke on
Jimmy. You know it is very easy to play a joke on any one who is asleep.
Peter doesn't often have a chance to play a joke on Jimmy Skunk. It
isn't a very safe thing to do, not if Jimmy is awake. No one knows that
better than Peter. He sat down some distance from the barrel but where
he could keep an eye on it. Then he went into a brown study, which is
one way of saying that he thought very hard. He wanted to play a joke on
Jimmy, but like most jokers he didn't want the joke to come back on
himself. In fact, he felt that it would be a great deal better for him
if Jimmy shouldn't know that he had anything to do with the joke.

As he sat there in a brown study,