ving no more luck than he had had before.

Unc' Billy Possum was faring about the same way. He couldn't, for the
life of him, stop thinking about those eggs that belonged to Mrs.
Grouse. The more he tried to forget about them, the more he thought
about them.

"Ah feels it in mah bones that there isn't the least bit of use in
huntin' fo' them," said he to himself, as he watched Jimmy Skunk amble
out of sight up the Lone Little Path. "No, Sah, there isn't the least
bit of use. Ah done look every place Ah can think of already. Still, Ah
haven't got anything else special on mah mind, and those aiggs cert'nly
would taste good. Ah reckons it must be Ah needs those aiggs, or Ah
wouldn't have them on mah mind so much. Ah finds it rather painful to
carry aiggs on mah mind all the time, but Ah would enjoy carrying them
in mah stomach. Ah cert'nly would." Unc' Billy grinned and started to
ramble about aimlessly, hoping that chance would lead him to the nest of
Mrs. Grouse.

Do what he would, Unc' Billy couldn't get the thought of eggs off his
mind, and the more he thought about them the more he wanted some. And
that led him to think of Farmer Brown's henhouse. He had long ago
resolved never again to go there, but the longing for a taste of eggs
was too much for his good resolutions, and as soon as jolly, round, red
Mr. Sun sank to rest behind the Purple Hills, and the Black Shadows came
creeping across the Green Meadows and through the Green Forest, Unc'
Billy slipped away, taking pains that old Mrs. Possum shouldn't suspect
where he was going.

Out from the Green Forest, keeping among the Black Shadows along by the
old stone wall on the edge of the Old Orchard, he stole, and so at last
he reached Farmer Brown's henhouse. He stopped to listen. There was no
sign of Bowser the Hound, and Unc' Billy sighed gently. It was a sigh of
relief. Then he crept around a corner of the henhouse towards a certain
hole under it he remembered well. Just as he reached it, he saw
something white. It moved. It was coming towards him from the other end
of the henhouse. Unc' Billy stopped right where he was. He was undecided
whether to run or stay. Then he heard a little grunt and decided to
stay. He even grinned. A few seconds later up came Jimmy Skunk. It was a
white stripe on Jimmy's coat that Unc' Billy had seen.

Jimmy gave a little snort of surprise when he almost bumped into Unc'
Billy.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded.

"Just ta