And he
was shaking the drops off his wings.

"It will never happen again," Mr. Crow said hoarsely. "Never again will
I go anywhere, rain or shine, without my umbrella. At my age it's very
dangerous to get so wet."

"I'd advise you to run through the woods, and then run back again, until
you get warm," Jasper Jay suggested. "And since you're my cousin, if you
want me to do it I'll help you--and hold your umbrella for you until you
return."

But Mr. Crow shook his head.

"I've had enough of your advice," he said sourly. "It might rain again;
and then I'd be worse off than ever."

Jasper Jay pretended to be surprised. And he, too, began to tremble and
shake. But it was only because he was laughing silently at his cousin.

X

A QUEER TOADSTOOL

Mr. Crow did exactly as he said he would. After the time he was caught
out in the shower and got wet he never went even the shortest distance
away from home without his umbrella. And he wouldn't even let anybody
take his umbrella, in order to look at it.

"It might rain suddenly," Mr. Crow explained. "I might be soaked before
I knew it--and you know that's very dangerous for one of my age."

It was not many days before there was another thunder-shower. And this
time Mr. Crow was ready for it. As soon as he felt the first drops he
spread his umbrella and raised it above his head. At last he was very,
very happy. For the first time in his life he was going to see what it
was like to stay out in the rain without getting wet.

Now, it hadn't rained long before Jasper Jay came hurrying up to Mr.
Crow, where he sat on Farmer Green's fence, and crawled under the
umbrella close beside the old gentleman.

"You don't mind, I hope?" said Jasper Jay.

"Well--n-no!" said Mr. Crow. "It's a big umbrella, fortunately. But I
hope no one else comes along."

The words were hardly out of his bill when Mr. Crow noticed a slim, gray
fellow, with a bushy tail, bounding toward them on top of the fence.

It was Frisky Squirrel. And he crept close to Mr. Crow, under the
umbrella, saying:

"You don't mind, I hope?"

"N-no!" replied Mr. Crow. With Frisky on one side of him and Jasper Jay
on the other Mr. Crow thought that maybe he could keep drier because they
were there. But he hoped no one else would pass that way.

Well, some one did. Before Mr. Crow knew what had happened, a voice
said--right over his shoulder:

"You don't mind, I hope?"

It was Fatty Coon! And Mr. Crow c