Cow had lost the contest and he was
glad.

Nimble watched the Muley Cow as she struggled amid the hawthorns, trying
to scramble out of the tangle.

"Can I help you, madam?" he asked.

But she never even thanked him. She was so upset that she neither wanted
anybody to speak to her nor did she wish to speak to anybody else.

As for Billy Woodchuck, he looked frightfully disappointed. He had
expected the Muley Cow to win the jumping contest. And there she was,
beaten at the very first jump!

He stole up to her; and standing on his hind legs, to get as near her as
he could, he said, "It's a pity you lost! I don't believe you stretched
your legs enough."

The Muley Cow snorted.

"That's not the reason why," she snapped. "I stretched my legs _too
much_. I jumped the fence until I was so tired I could scarcely stand.
It's no wonder that Nimble beat me."

Nimble Deer could see that the Muley Cow was feeling quite glum. After
she had struggled free of the thorns he went up to her and bowed in his
most polite manner. "Is there anything I can do for you?" he asked her.

"Yes! Do let down the bars for me!" she gasped. "I want to go home. And
I couldn't jump that fence again. It would be dangerous for me to try. I
might fall and break a leg off. And then I'd have a short leg the rest
of my life."

"You could stretch it," old Mr. Crow suggested.

But the Muley Cow turned her back on him and walked away.

XX

SOLVING A PROBLEM

Jimmy Rabbit was going to give a party. Up and down Pleasant Valley and
all about Blue Mountain the field and forest people were talking about
it.

Almost everybody had an invitation. There were only a few that weren't
asked. Jimmy Rabbit didn't intend to invite Grumpy Weasel because he was
a rascal. And Timothy Turtle wasn't to be one of the guests because he
would be sure to grumble at everybody and everything.

And then there was Nimble Deer. Jimmy Rabbit said that Nimble was _too
big_ to come to his party. And every one told Jimmy Rabbit that it was
a pity. All the neighbors said so much that Jimmy Rabbit didn't know
what to do.

"If I don't ask Nimble you won't be pleased," Jimmy complained to Billy
Woodchuck. "And if I do ask him and he should happen to step on you
during a dance you wouldn't like that."

"Invite him; but keep him away from the crowd!" Billy Woodchuck
suggested.

"How can I do that?" Jimmy Rabbit demanded.

"I don't know," Billy replied. "But I am sure