a joke on
him. As for the fall, that did not trouble him at all. He knew that he
could land on his feet.

It was after he had lighted upon the ground that Frisky was really
frightened. For when he looked up, whom should he see but Tommy Fox,
not three jumps away! And Tommy Fox was smiling in the most horrid
fashion, as if to say--"Ah! I've got you now, my fine fellow!" And then
Tommy Fox leaped.

But quick as Tommy was, Frisky Squirrel was even quicker. While Tommy
was making one big leap, Frisky was making three smaller leaps. And
when Tommy came down on the spot where Frisky had been he found
nothing but a heap of dry leaves beneath his paws; and in a moment
more Frisky Squirrel's gray tail was disappearing through the doorway
of his mother's house.

It was very unlucky for Tommy Fox; but then, one might say that it was
very lucky for Frisky Squirrel.

III

The Stone that Walked

One day Frisky Squirrel was playing in the woods when he came upon a
chestnut bur which had lain upon the ground all winter. And in a
twinkling Frisky had picked the nut from inside it and popped it into
his mouth. Then he started home to show his mother what he had found.

But on the way home Frisky began to feel hungry. Just carrying that
nut inside his cheek was a little more than he could stand. And he
decided that he would eat the nut at once, and _tell_ his mother about
it, instead of _showing_ it to her.

So Frisky hopped up on the top of a broad, flat rock. And sitting down
right in the center of it, he began to gnaw at the chestnut. He was so
busy and so interested in what he was doing that before he knew it the
rock began to move. It moved so slowly that it was not until it
started to climb a little hummock, and nearly tipped Frisky over on
his back, that he noticed what was happening.

At first Frisky thought he must be dreaming. He nipped himself with
his sharp teeth to make sure that he was awake. And when he saw that
the rock was really walking right away with him he forgot all about
eating the chestnut. He let it fall out of his paws and roll away; for
he had never seen a rock move like that before.

It was very exciting, though Frisky had never traveled so slowly
before. You see, whenever he went anywhere he always hurried as if he
had the most important business to attend to. But it was quite
different with that rock. It crawled along just as if it didn't care
whether it ever got anywhere or not.

For