Mr. Dog talks poetry that way sometimes when he gets excited. But Jack
Rabbit said he really couldn't think of inviting him in, the way things
were, and that it would likely be after sundown before he'd be ready for
him. Of course, he said, Mr. Dog couldn't wait that long, he knew, and
that he s'posed, after all, they'd have to do without his comp'ny this
time. Then Mr. Dog said that his folks were away from home now, and that
he could stay there all night if he wanted to, but that he didn't want
to and didn't propose to, and then he gave another great big bow wow
wow! and said:--

"You fooled me once, but you can't ag'in;
Open the door or I'll break it in!"

[Illustration: THE 'POSSUM ALMOST DIED.]

[Illustration: SAW MR. DOG'S YELLOW LEGS AND TAIL.]

Jack Rabbit and Mr. 'Coon both jumped when they heard that, and Mr.
'Possum almost died. It worried the Crow and the Turtle some, too, for
they knew if he did break in the door there'd be a big row and no
telling how it would end. And just then Mr. Dog gave a big run and a
jump against the door, and it squeaked and opened a little, so that the
Rabbit could see a streak of light through it and Mr. Dog's yellow legs
and tail. When he saw that Jack Rabbit just gave one spring and landed
on the top shelf of his china closet. Mr. 'Possum jumped up and ran
around the room and fainted in two or three different places, trying to
find one that was safer than the other, and Mr. 'Coon scampered up the
Rabbit's new lace curtains and hung on to the pole for dear life. The
Crow and the Turtle just kept still and got ready to argue some with Mr.
Dog when he got in.

Pretty soon he came, bang! against the door again, and this time a good
deal harder than before, and it squeaked louder and the crack was wider,
for Mr. Dog had jumped against it as hard as ever he could, backward.
And right there Mr. Dog made a mistake, for in just that little second
while the crack was open the end of his tail got in it, and the door
smacked right down on it, and there he was.

"Ho!" said the Little Lady. "Was he caught tight?"

[Illustration: HE HOWLED LIKE A GOOD FELLOW.]

He was that. The harder he pulled the tighter it pinched, and he howled
like a good fellow. You wouldn't have thought that such a little bit of
his tail would make him howl so loud, but it did, and he couldn't get
far enough away from the door to jump against it again. Well, Mr. Rabbit
didn't let on that anything had happe