he wanted to reach the end of the ground
squirrel's tunnel before Mr. Coyote arrived on the scene.

It happened that Mr. Coyote was stalking slowly across the country in
the moonlight, headed for no place in particular. So Benny Badger had
time to burrow his way to the ground squirrel's bedroom without being
interrupted.

And then Benny met with a sad disappointment. The owner of the burrow
was not at home! Benny knew that he could not have been gone long,
because the bed of dried grasses was still warm.

It was plain that Mr. Ground Squirrel had awakened and heard the sound
of Benny Badger's digging. And there was no doubt that he had sprung up
in a hurry and rushed out of his back door, while Benny made his way
through the front one.

Benny Badger tried to console himself with the thought that anyhow he
had had the fun of digging. But he was very hungry. And there was no
supper in sight anywhere.

He was just about to renew his search for fresh ground squirrels' holes,
when who should appear but Mr. Coyote himself, with a knowing smile upon
his narrow face.

IV

MR. COYOTE SINGS

Benny Badger was not at all glad to see Mr. Coyote. And after Benny's
ill luck, the smile upon Mr. Coyote's face made the disappointed digger
feel almost peevish.

"What a beautiful evening it is!" said Mr. Coyote. "And what a fine
night for digging!"

Benny Badger glared at the newcomer, making no attempt to hide his
displeasure at seeing him.

"I don't notice _you_ doing any digging," he remarked with a sneer. He
had no use for Mr. Coyote, and he did not mind letting that tricky
fellow know it, either.

But Mr. Coyote was not one to take a hint. If he knew he wasn't wanted
anywhere, it never made the slightest difference to him. And when Benny
as much as told him that he was _too lazy_ to dig a hole, Mr. Coyote did
not lose his temper even for a moment.

"No--I seldom dig," he replied. "I don't want to spoil your fun. If I
went to work and dug and dug anywhere and everywhere there'd soon be
nothing but holes, no matter where you went. You'd have no place to dig
a hole yourself. And then you'd be pretty unhappy."

Benny Badger hadn't thought of that. And he didn't know just what to
say, because if Mr. Coyote meant what he said, Benny wanted to say
something _pleasant_; and if Mr. Coyote was only joking, Benny wanted
to say something disagreeable. But before Benny had made up his mind how
to reply to Mr. Coyote's r