e contest. So he
began to squall.

"She mustn't stretch her legs any more than Nimble stretches his," he
objected in his hoarse croak. "Nimble jumped the fence twice to stretch
his legs. She has jumped once already. Let her jump the fence once more
and then they'll be even and the real contest can begin."

"That's fair enough," said Jimmy Rabbit. But Billy Woodchuck began to
chatter and scold.

"It's a trick--a trick of Mr. Crow's!" he cried. "If the Muley Cow jumps
once more to stretch her legs she'll be on the wrong side of the fence.
She won't be in the back pasture then. And how could she have the
contest with Nimble Deer?"

Old Mr. Crow gave a loud haw-haw. But he still insisted that the Muley
Cow might have only one more leg-stretching jump, when Jimmy Rabbit
hurried up to him and said something nobody else could hear. And Mr.
Crow listened and then nodded his head.

"It's all right," the old gentleman told Billy Woodchuck. "Let the Muley
Cow stretch her legs all she likes."

XIX

THE JUMPING CONTEST

Having had Mr. Crow's permission, the Muley Cow went on stretching her
legs as much as she pleased. She jumped the pasture fence; and she
jumped it back again. And when she seemed about to stop Billy Woodchuck
whispered to her, "You may as well keep a-stretching them. Keep
a-jumping! And when the time for the real contest with Nimble Deer comes
your legs will be stretched so long that you'll beat Nimble without the
slightest trouble."

So the Muley Cow jumped over the fence and back, over the fence and
back. And when at last she said she was ready for the contest Billy
Woodchuck still urged her to stretch her legs a bit more.

By the time he was willing to let her stop the Muley Cow's sides were
heaving.

Meanwhile Jimmy Rabbit and Billy Woodchuck, with Mr. Crow's help, had
picked out a clump of young hawthorns for the first test. And now that
everybody was ready for the contest Nimble Deer cleared the clump
gracefully, with a foot to spare.

Then came the Muley Cow's turn. She looked worried as she fell into a
lumbering gallop and ran towards the prickly young trees. And with a
mighty effort she tried to fling herself over them.

As she rose into the air she gave a bellow of dismay, to fall
floundering the next instant into the thorny thicket.

Jimmy Rabbit began to hop about in circles. He knew that Nimble had won
the contest and Jimmy was very happy.

Old Mr. Crow haw-hawed. The Muley