I have
one!"

"Ah! I was told you had," said Brownie Beaver.

"Who told you?"

"Old Mr. Crow!" Brownie Beaver said.

"I might have known it," Nimble muttered. "He has played a joke on you.
It's true that I have a flag; but it's not the kind of flag you want.
Some people call my tail a flag, on account of the way I wave it in the
air when I'm startled. Of course you wouldn't care to have my tail on
the top of your house."

And Brownie Beaver admitted that he shouldn't.

"But I can't help being disappointed," he confessed.

XVIII

THE MULEY COW

Nimble Deer was a famous jumper. And so was the Muley Cow. In Farmer
Green's herd there was no other that could match her.

Living as he did in the pasture, Billy Woodchuck had often seen and
admired the Muley Cow as she jumped the fence in order to get into the
clover patch, or the cornfield, or the orchard.

And Jimmy Rabbit, who lived in the woods, had come to believe--and even
boast--that there wasn't anyone that could jump higher than Nimble Deer.

So Billy Woodchuck and Jimmy Rabbit could never agree upon this question
of the best jumper in Pleasant Valley. And there was only one way to
settle their difference of opinion. Old Mr. Crow told them that.

"You must have a contest," he declared.

And everybody was willing. The Muley Cow said (when asked) that she
would be delighted. And when Nimble Deer heard of the plan he ran all
the way to the back pasture at once. For that was where Mr. Crow said
the contest ought to take place.

Nimble reached the back pasture just in time to see the Muley Cow arrive
there. She leaped the fence. And at the same time she grazed the top
rail.

"Good morning, madam!" Nimble said to the Muley Cow. And while she was
answering him Nimble jumped the fence into the pasture from which the
Muley Cow had come; and then he jumped back again, into the back
pasture. And he didn't touch the fence by so much as a single hair.

Then Billy Woodchuck crawled under the fence and came hurrying up.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm just stretching my legs a bit," Nimble explained. At that answer
Billy Woodchuck set up a loud clamor. "It's not fair!" he howled. "I
expected the Muley Cow to win the contest. But if you're going to
stretch your legs she'll certainly be beaten unless she stretches hers
too."

Now, old Mr. Crow was on hand to see the fun. And not being very
friendly with the Muley Cow he didn't want her to win th