320 Trails to Woods and Waters 



know when his enemies were coming; but, 

 worst of all, it wore out his clothes. 



" Why, that snake hadn't been going on his 

 belly for three months before his pants were 

 out at the knees, and he had scraped off all 

 his vest buttons, while his coat was in tatters 

 and so ragged that he could hardly keep it on. 



" This greatly injured the snake's vanity, 

 for he had a fine mottled suit of which he had 

 been very proud before his fall. 



" Finally his clothes got to looking so bad 

 that he hardly dared to show himself, not 

 even to scare Eve and her daughters, which 

 had been his chief delight. Instead, he slunk 

 about in dark corners and lost his appetite for 

 frogs. 



" Finally he got so blue about it that he 

 decided to go and tell the Wood Nymph his 

 troubles and see if anything could be done for 

 his case. 



" ' Dear Wood Nymph, kind friend of all 

 living creatures/ he began, * I am in great 

 trouble. Ever since the day that I got those 

 silly bipeds to eat the apple, I have had to 



