m chop down this tree," said Pinkie Whiskers.

He took off his little red coat and hung it on a stick, which Farmer
Gale had stuck in the ground. Then he put his brown cap on top of his
little red coat, rolled up his shirt sleeves and began his work.

He swung the axe high above his head and brought it down against the
tree with a great bang! He looked and to his disappointment saw that he
had not cut even a tiny chip.

"I will try again," he vowed. "What others have done, I can do."

He chopped and chopped at the big tree until he was rewarded by bright,
yellow chips flying through the air.

Winkle, Twinkle and Sammy Woodchuck stood by and watched him with great
admiration. Sammy Woodchuck said:

"You are doing splendid work, Pinkie Whiskers. I will take some of these
chips home with me and put them across my front door. I always use the
back door. It is more safe."

CHAPTER III

"Why do you bother to have a front door if you only pile sticks in front
of it and never use it?" inquired Twinkle.

"Just to fool Farmer Gale's dog and any other animal, which might try to
catch me. While they were digging at my front door, I could slip out my
back door and escape," replied Sammy Woodchuck.

"Has Farmer Gale's dog ever tried to catch you?" asked Pinkie Whiskers.

"Oh, yes, indeed, many times," answered Sammy Woodchuck. "One time I was
fast asleep when I heard a sniff, sniff at my front door. At first I
thought that it must be part of a dream.

"I rubbed my eyes, sat up and listened. In a moment I heard the sniff,
sniff again. This time it was very loud and near. Then I heard
scratching and digging. I knew that dog, for I had seen him many times
and I knew that he never stopped until he got what he was after.

"I could hear him digging so fast that I knew it would not be long
before he would be right in my house. I began to move slowly and quietly
for the back door. I got out safely and was running across the meadow
when the dog saw me in the moonlight and gave chase.

"Of course I did not have a chance with him for I am so fat. He was
gaining every moment and I was so tired and out of breath that I thought
every step would be my last one, when a cat ran right between us.

"Now, the dog hated the cat worse than he did me, so he gave chase to
the cat. Away they both ran at a terrible speed. I knew that the cat
could run faster than the dog and would soon be safe and sound up a
tree, so I rested a moment