Douglas Daily Dispatch

Don't tell your neighbors all you know;
Or what you do, or where you go.
-Jimmy Skunk.

It was dusk. Jimmy Skunk was ambling along in that easy-going fashion of his. Bobby Coon was following him.

Bobby was glad that Jimmy was fat and that naturally he never hurries, for Bobby was himself quite fat and he had no desire to hurry. Jimmy paid no attention to his back trail. He didn't once look behind him to see if he were being followed. You see, Jimmy has so long been independent that it does not concern him much what other people do.

So Jimmy didn't know that Bobby Coon was following.

Jimmy snuffled along down through the Old Orchard straight toward Farmer Brown's house.

Bobby Coon followed. When Jimmy reached Farmer Brown's dooryard he didn't stop; he ambled straight across that yard toward the back of Farmer Brown's house. Bobby Coon, however, did stop.

"Where can that fellow be going now?" muttered Bobby Coon. "Bowser the Hound or Flip the Terrier is likely to show up any minute. Jimmy Skunk is crazy! Yes, sir; he's crazy!"

Then Bobby happened to remember that Jimmy was afraid of no one. He remembered that everybody respected Jimmy's little bag of scent. It probably was safe enough for him to cross that dooryard. It wouldn't, however, be safe for Bobby to cross--at least, not if Bowser the Hound or Flip the Terrier happened to be around.

"I'll just climb a tree here and see what I can see from there," muttered Bobby, and immediately acted on his own suggestion. He found when he got up in the tree, however, that Jimmy Skunk had disappeared. He had disappeared over there close to Farmer Brown's House, and, though Bobby looked and looked, and his eyes are pretty good in the dark, he could see nothing of Jimmy. Bobby waited for some time. At last he heard a little noise down below him, a rustling in the leaves. He looked down and could see something white. He knew right away that Jimmy Skunk was there. What he saw was the white part of Jimmy's black and white coat.

"Hello Jimmy Skunk!" said Bobby.

"Hello, yourself!" replied Jimmy Skunk. "What are you doing up in that tree? Getting apples?"

Bobby pretended that he didn't hear this. "What are you doing away over here, Jimmy Skunk?" said he. "My goodness, how fat you are! You must be getting a good living."

Jimmy licked his lips and grinned. He knew that Bobby couldn't see him grin. "It's a fair living," said he. "Yes, sir, I can say that it's a fair living."

"Where do you get it?" asked Bobby.

"Ah!" replied Jimmy. "That is the question--where do I get it?"

"Why don't you invite me to go with you?" inquired Bobby.

"Because," replied Jimmy, "you wouldn't dare go with me if I invited you."

"Just try me and see," replied Bobby.

"Well," replied Jimmy, "supposing I invited you to go into Farmer Brown's house."

"I'd refuse," replied Bobby. "And you'd refuse if I invited you to go in there."

"Perhaps," said Jimmy, "perhaps." And, grinning slyly, he ambled along toward the Old Orchard and home.

(Copyright, 1930, by T. W. Burgess)

The next story: "Bobby's Courage Deserts Him."