tared at his small friend without saying a word.

"You must be mistaken," he replied at last. "I'm standing on the ground.
And I never saw a last year's bird's nest that was lower than that."

"I shall have to explain," said Dickie, "that my new home is much finer
than my old one. Now, you may not believe it, but it has a front hall
that's a hundred times as long as your tail."

Fatty Coon looked around at his ringed tail, with its black tip; and
then he looked up at Dickie Deer Mouse again.

"You must be mistaken!" he cried. "I'll have to take my tail to your
house and measure your front hall myself before I'll believe that."

"You can't measure my hall!" Dickie Deer Mouse exclaimed.

"Who's going to stop me?" Fatty Coon growled. He was used to having his
own way. And it always made him angry when anybody tried to upset his
plans. "I'm going to your house in the pasture now; and I'll soon show
you that you're mistaken about your front hall.... You come with me and
lead the way, young fellow!"

But Dickie Deer Mouse said he was so hungry that he couldn't go back
just then.

"I'm headed for the big beech tree to see if I can find a few nuts," he
announced.

At the mention of food Fatty Coon's face took on a different look.

"I'm hungry myself," he said, as if he had just remembered something. "I
was on my way to Farmer Green's corn house when I met you. And I really
ought to get there before the moon comes up. So if you'll tell me where
your house is I'll stop there when I come back."

"My new home----" Dickie Deer Mouse informed him with an air of great
pride----"my new home is in the burrow where Mr. and Mrs. Woodchuck used
to live. The front door is under the tree that stands on the knoll just
beyond the fence. But you can never get inside it, because you're
altogether too fat."

The stout person on the ground knew that he spoke the truth. And without
saying another word he turned about and disappeared in the direction of
the farm buildings.

"Don't forget to take your tail with you!" Dickie Deer Mouse called to
him, just before he was out of sight. "You might want to measure the
corn house."

But Fatty Coon did not trouble himself to answer.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

XVIII

TOO MANY COUSINS

In high spirits Dickie Deer Mouse hurried on through the woods until he
came to the big beech tree. And though many others had been there before
him, since the nuts had ripened, Dickie had