m caught sight of Reddy Fox at a safe
distance, he would shout:

"Ol' Bill Possum, he's gone before!
Ol' Bill Possum, he is no more!"

It got so that Reddy never came down on the Green Meadows in the
daytime, and at night he avoided meeting any one if possible, even his
old friend, Bobby Coon. And of course Reddy Fox hated Unc' Billy
Possum more than ever.

But Unc' Billy didn't care, not he! He knew that all the rest of the
little people of the Green Forest and the Green Meadows thought him
the smartest of them all, because of the way in which he had fooled
Bowser the Hound and Farmer Brown's boy. He liked his neighbors, he
liked the Green Forest, and so he made up his mind that this was the
place for him to stay.

But in spite of all his friends, Unc' Billy was lonesome. The longer
he stayed, the more lonesome he grew, Unc' Billy wanted his family,
whom he had left way down in "Ol' Virginny." Finally he told Jimmy
Skunk all about it, and for once Unc' Billy had forgotten how to grin.
Yes, Sir, Unc' Billy had forgotten how to grin. Instead he just wept,
wept great big tears of lonesomeness.

"Ah reckon Ah'll have to go back to Ol' Virginny, Ah cert'nly do,"
said Unc' Billy Possum.

Jimmy Skunk grew very thoughtful. Since he and Unc' Billy Possum had
been in partnership, Jimmy had had more eggs to eat than ever before
in his whole life. Now Unc' Billy was talking about going away. Jimmy
thought very hard. Then he had a bright idea.

"Why not send for your family to come here and live in the Green
Forest, Uncle Billy?" he asked.

Unc' Billy stopped crying. His two little eyes looked up sharply. "How
do yo'all reckon Ah can send word?" he asked.

Jimmy scratched his head. "There's Mr. Skimmer the Swallow; he's
fixing to go South. Perhaps he'll take the message to your family,"
said he.

"The very thing!" cried Unc' Billy Possum, wiping his eyes. "Ah thanks
yo', Sah. Ah does, indeed. Ah'll see Mistah Skimmer at once."

And without another word Unc' Billy Possum started down the Crooked
Little Path for the Green Meadows to look for Skimmer the Swallow.

IV

BOBBY COON ENTERS THE WRONG HOUSE

After Unc' Billy Possum had arranged with Skimmer the Swallow, who was
going South, to take a message to his family in "Ol' Virginny,"
telling them to come and join him in the Green Forest, he at once
began to make preparations to receive them. Unc' Billy isn't any too
fond of work. He had a lot rather