told him about. One was sticking in his foot, and one was in the white
patch on the seat of his trousers.

II

THE STRANGER FROM THE NORTH

The Merry Little Breezes of Old Mother West Wind were excited. Yes,
Sir, they certainly were excited. They had met Happy Jack Squirrel and
Peter Rabbit, and they were full of the news of the queer things that
Happy Jack and Peter Rabbit had found over in the Green Forest. They
hurried this way and that way over the Green Meadows and told every
one they met. Finally they reached the Smiling Pool and excitedly told
Grandfather Frog all about it.

Grandfather Frog smoothed down his white and yellow waistcoat and
looked very wise, for you know that Grandfather Frog is very old.

"Pooh," said Grandfather Frog. "I know what they are."

"What?" cried all the Merry Little Breezes together. "Happy Jack says
he is sure they do not grow, for there are no strange plants over
there."

Grandfather Frog opened his big mouth and snapped up a foolish green
fly that one of the Merry Little Breezes blew over to him.

"Chug-a-rum," said Grandfather Frog. "Things do not have to be on
plants in order to grow. Now I am sure that those things grew, and
that they did not grow on a plant."

The Merry Little Breezes looked puzzled. "What is there that grows and
doesn't grow on a plant?" asked one of them.

"How about the claws on Peter Rabbit's toes and the hair of Happy
Jack's tail?" asked Grandfather Frog.

The Merry Little Breezes looked foolish. "Of course," they cried. "We
didn't think of that. But we are quite sure that these queer things
that prick so are not claws, and certainly they are not hair."

"Don't you be too sure," said Grandfather Frog. "You go over to the
Green Forest and look up in the treetops instead of down on the
ground; then come back and tell me what you find."

Away raced the Merry Little Breezes to the Green Forest and began to
search among the treetops. Presently, way up in the top of a big
poplar, they found a stranger. He was bigger than any of the little
meadow people, and he had long sharp teeth with which he was stripping
the bark from the tree. The hair of his coat was long, and out of it
peeped a thousand little spears just like the queer things that Happy
Jack and Peter Rabbit had told them about.

"Good morning," said the Merry Little Breezes politely.

"Mornin'," grunted the stranger in the treetop.

"May we ask where you come from?" said one