Part 4 (1/2)

”What did I tell you? Nohat do you think?” cried Bobby coon

Peter didn't knohat to think, and he said so He left Bobby to eat his corn and spent the rest of the night telling every one he hthawk had said, but of course no one believed it, and every one laughed at hiht?

So now Peter sat in the Old Briar-patch thinking and thinking, when he should have been asleep Finally he yawned and stretched and then started along one of his private little paths

”I'll just run up to the Green Forest and try to find Sah the Green Forest for Sammy Jay, and asked everybody he h every one took pains to tell Peter that they had heard Saht At last Peter found Sticky-toes the Tree Toad He wasto himself, and he didn't see Peter Peter stopped to listen, which was, of course, a very wrong thing to do, and what he heard gave Peter an idea

XIII

STICKY-TOES THE TREE TOAD POURS OUT HIS TROUBLES

Sticky-toes was quite upset There was no doubt about it Either he had gotten out of the wrong side of his bed thathad happened to make him lose his temper completely

”Don't knohat it means! Don't knohat it means! Don't knohat it ain ”Heard it last night and the night before that and before that and before that and before that, and I don't knohat it means!”

”Don't knohat means?” asked Peter Rabbit, whose curiosity would not let hi-ears! I don't know that it's any of your business!” said Sticky-toes

Peter allowed that it wasn't, but that as he had sointerested when he found that Sticky-toes had troubles too Then he told Sticky-toes all about how Boo to bed up in the far-away Old Pasture, and how that very night Sa down in the alders beside the Laughing Brook Sticky-toes nodded his head

”I heard it,” said he

”But how could Sammy Jay be down here if he went to bed way off there in the Old Pasture? Tell me that, Sticky-toes?” said Peter Rabbit

Sticky-toes shook his head ”Don't ask me! Don't ask me! Just tell me how it is that I hear my own voice when I don't speak a word,” said Sticky-toes the Tree Toad

”What's that?” exclaimed Peter Rabbit

Then Sticky-toes poured out all his troubles to Peter Rabbit They were very ht Sticky-toes would hear what sounded like his own voice co at all, and at a tiht as he kne In fact, he had been so worried that for several nights he hadn't said a word, yet his neighbors had co so worried that he couldn't eat

Peter Rabbit listened with his mouth wide open It was just the same kind of a story that Sa on?

Peter couldn't understand it at all It certainly was very, very curious

He just must find out about it!

XIV

PETER RABBIT MEETS UNC' BILLY POSSUM