and how bad the cold rains
were for young chickens. Mr. Rabbit didn't care for chickens himself,
but he usually kept some for his friends, and always had a nice patch
of young clover and some garden vegetables for his own use. He said the
late frost had killed his early lettuce and young cabbage plants, and
that his clover patch looked as if a fire had been through it.

Mr. 'Coon smoked a little and looked into the fire and said that he
guessed to-morrow would be a warm day, and the Crow said he knew it
would be because he could feel it in his leg, where a stray shot from
Mr. Man's gun happened to hit him once when he was taking a walk in Mr.
Man's cornfield just about this time of year.

The 'Possum put his thumbs in the armholes of his vest and leaned back
against the mantel, and said he had a plan he wanted to tell them about.
When he said that they all kept still to listen, because they knew when
the 'Possum had a plan it always meant something good to eat, and they
were always ready to hear about good things to eat, even when they'd
just got up from the supper table.

Mr. 'Possum puffed a few puffs of smoke, and then he went on to say that
after so much bad weather in April he thought it would be proper for
them to give an outdoor feast and a woods party on the first day of May.
All the others spoke up right off and said that was just the thing. Then
they all began talking at once about what each would bring and whom they
should invite.

Jack Rabbit said he would invite Mr. Chipmunk and Mr Quail, and that he
would speak a piece composed for the occasion. The 'Coon said he would
invite Mr. Fox, because he had the best chickens, and would bring a
basket of them along. The 'Possum said that would be a good plan, and
that they ought to try as much as they could to invite people that would
bring things. That made the Crow laugh, and he said if they wanted to do
that they might invite Mr. Man himself.

Of course all the others laughed at first when they heard that, and
then, all at once, they quit laughing, for speaking of Mr. Man made them
think of Mr. Dog, and they knew how he was always trapesing around the
country where he wasn't wanted, and just as likely as not would walk
right in on them at dinner time and make it unpleasant for everybody.

They all felt pretty lonesome when they thought of that, and then the
Crow laughed again and said he would send over a note by Mr. Robin to
Mr. Dog inviting him to go and