glaring eyes--" said Fatty Coon.
"I've been waiting around here for quite a long time and he hasn't looked
away from the chicken house even once.... Do you know him?"

"No! And I don't want to!" said Solomon Owl.

"S-sh!" Fatty Coon held up a warning hand. "Who's that?" he asked, peering
down at a dark object at the foot of their tree.

Then both he and Solomon saw that it was Tommy Fox, sitting on his
haunches and staring at the big head, with its blazing eyes and nose and
mouth.

"Not looking for chickens, I suppose?" Solomon Owl called in a low tone,
which was hardly more than a whisper.

But Tommy Fox's sharp ears heard him easily. And he looked up, licking his
chops as if he were very hungry indeed. And all the while the stranger
continued to stare straight at the chicken house, as if he did not intend
to let anybody go

prowling about that long, low building to steal any of Farmer Green's
poultry.

It was no wonder that the three chicken-lovers (two in the tree and one
beneath it) hesitated. If the queer man had only spoken they might not
have been so timid. But he said never a word.

VIII
WATCHING THE CHICKENS

Solomon Owl and Fatty Coon couldn't help laughing at what Tommy Fox said
to them, as they sat in their tree near the farmhouse, looking down at him
in the moonlight.

"I'm here to watch Farmer Green's chickens for him--" said he--"to see that
no rat--or anybody else--runs away with a pullet."

"Farmer Green has someone else watching for him to-night," said Solomon
Owl, when he had stopped laughing. "There's that strange man! You can see
how he keeps his glaring eyes fixed on the chicken house. And unless I'm
mistaken, he's on the lookout for _you_."

"No such thing!" Tommy Fox snapped. And he looked up at Solomon as if he
wished that he could climb the tree.

"Here comes somebody else!" Fatty Coon exclaimed suddenly. His keen eyes
had caught sight of Jimmy Rabbit, hopping along on his way to the
vegetable garden, to see if he couldn't find a stray cabbage or a turnip.

Solomon Owl called to him. Whereupon, Jimmy Rabbit promptly sat up and
looked at the odd trio. If it hadn't been for Tommy Fox he would have
drawn nearer.

"Do you know that stranger?" Solomon Owl asked him, pointing out the
horrible head to Jimmy.

"I haven't the pleasure," said Jimmy Rabbit, after he had taken a good
look.

"Well," said Solomon, "won't you kindly speak to him; and ask him to go
away?"

"