and your
children and your children's children forever and ever shall be
outcasts among the people of the Green Forest and the Green Meadows,
hated by all, little and big.' And it has been so to this day. Even I am
not on speaking terms with Shadow, although he is my own cousin,"
concluded Jimmy Skunk.

Peter Rabbit shuddered. "Isn't it dreadful not to have a single friend?"
he exclaimed. "I would rather have to run for my life twenty times a day
than to be hated and feared and without a single friend. I wouldn't be
an outcast for all the world."

"There's not the least bit of danger of that for you, Peter," laughed
Jimmy Skunk.

X

HOW THE EYES OF OLD MR. OWL BECAME FIXED

X

HOW THE EYES OF OLD MR. OWL BECAME FIXED

Blacky the Crow had discovered Hooty the Owl dozing the bright day away
in a thick hemlock-tree. Blacky knew that the bright light hurt Hooty's
big eyes and half blinded him. This meant that he could have no end of
fun teasing Hooty, and that Hooty would have to sit still and take it
all, because he couldn't see well enough to fly away or to try to catch
Blacky. Now if the day had been dark, as it sometimes is on cloudy days,
or if the dusk of evening had been settling over the Green Meadows and
the Green Forest, matters would have been very different. Blacky would
have taken care, the very greatest care, not to let Hooty know that he
was anywhere around. But as it was, here was a splendid chance to spoil
Hooty's sleep and to see him grow very, very angry and do it without
running any great risk.

"Caw, caw, caw, caw, caw!" yelled Blacky at the top of his voice, and at
once all his relatives came flocking over to join in the fun. Dear me,
dear me, such a racket as there was then! They flew over his head, and
they settled in the tree all around him, all yelling as hard as ever
they could. Everybody within hearing knew what it meant, and everybody
who dared to hurried over to watch the fun. Somehow most people seem to
take pleasure in seeing some one else made uncomfortable, especially if
it is some one of whom they stand in fear and who is for the time being
helpless.

Most of the little meadow and forest people are very much afraid of
Hooty the Owl as soon as it begins to grow dark, for that is when he can
see best and does all his hunting. So, though it wasn't at all nice of
the