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ought to see me climb. You couldn't climb up 

 there and saw that limb, could you ? " 



" I don't know," said Joe doubtfully. 



" 'Course you couldn't; I could though. Yes, 

 sir, I'd just climb up there as easy as anything and 

 saw that limb off. I wouldn't be afraid." 



Suddenly from the shaking branch a flying 

 squirrel came sailing down directly at Billy. It 

 must have been too badly frightened to know where 

 it was going. 



When Billy saw the thing skimming down at him, 

 he was so terrified that he spread his arms out and 

 fell flat on his back on the ground, howling. 



The flying squirrel scarcely touched him and was 

 gone in a moment, but the boy still lay there, cry- 

 ing so loudly that his mother came out on the 

 piazza. 



" What's the matter, Billy ? " she asked. 



Tim up in the tree had seen it all, and he laughed 

 so hard that he had to stop sawing. 



When Joe told his aunt what had happened, she 

 looked provoked, and called to her son to get up 

 and be quiet. Billy stopped crying and got up, 

 looking rather silly, and for the rest of the day he 

 was less boastful. 



