d of fellow you'd
really want for a friend; but because he doesn't do any great harm in
the world, we members of the club pass the time of day with him when
we meet.

"Well, at this time I'm going to tell you about, Cheeko Squirrel
happened to go down to the pond just out of curiosity, and there he
saw old Slowly, lying on a rock sunning himself.

"'Howdy, Mr. Turtle,' Cheeko said friendly-like, and the old fellow,
being too lazy to speak, winked one eye at Mr. Squirrel.

"'Have you had your dinner yet?' Cheeko asked, as if it would make him
feel dreadfully bad to know that Mr. Turtle was hungry.

"'I haven't had time to go after it, and it's so near sunset now that
I'm afraid I'll have to wait till to-morrow.'

"'Why don't you catch a big, fat frog?' Cheeko asked as if he couldn't
rest easy until he knew that Mr. Turtle was comfortable.

"'I haven't seen any around here lately, and there isn't time to go
hunting to-day.'

"'I don't suppose you'd be willing to follow any plan of mine,' Mr.
Squirrel said, speaking soft as silk; 'but if you did, I'm almost
certain I could put you in a place where all you'd have to do would be
to open your mouth when you wanted a bite.'

"That pleased Mr. Turtle 'way down to the ground, and he agreed he'd
do whatever Mr. Squirrel said, providing he didn't have to walk too
far, so Cheeko set about the plan he'd figured out in his mind for
getting square with Mr. Crow. In the first place he daubed Mr. Turtle
all over with clay till he looked like a ball of mud, and while doing
this he told the old fellow how to act.

"'I'm going to carry you over into the woods a little way and you are
to keep as still as a mouse till you feel some one meddling with the
mud I'm sticking to your shell. Then you'll know it's time to get your
dinner, and all you'll have to do will be to shut your jaws on
whatever is within reach. I'll promise that you shall have meat that
will be sweeter than the fattest frog you ever heard croak.'

"Mr. Turtle let Cheeko do what he pleased, and if you'll believe it,
that squirrel rolled the old fellow in his covering of clay all the
way from the pond up to Crow's Corner. It must have been a terrible
job, but Cheeko was willing to do it for the sake of getting a joke on
Mr. Crow, and when he came to the foot of the tree he sat down in
front of what appeared to be nothing more than a clay ball, with his
tail spread out over his head as if he were thinking mighty seri