106 THE ROMANCE OF EVERIFARM 



"How did you know I was over there?" questioned 

 Bobby. 



"Why, you went out the front door as I entered 

 the back door in search of a fat pullet," admitted 

 Billy. "I have been living on mice, rats, ground 

 squirrels, chipmunks, snakes, frogs, and insects long 

 enough, so I am going to have a little chicken from 

 time to time," Billy continued. 



"Well, Billy, there is nothing like fresh eggs, and 

 Farmer Brown's eggs are always fresh, because I 

 see to it that they never get stale," and Bobby Coon 

 laughed at his joke. 



Johnnie Chuck, the big woodchuck, had his home 

 up on the hillside near the timber and, hearing all 

 the talk and laughter of Bobby Coon, Billy Mink, 

 and Jerry Muskrat, he came down to see what was 

 going on. 



Now Johnnie Chuck had been feeding on grasses, 

 clover, and succulent plants, as well as the grain 

 crops of the neighborhood, and he didn't care for 

 eggs. He was not very energetic, so he didn't move 

 very fast, but his ideas and his wisdom were held 

 in very high regard by all his other companions. 



"Well, Mr. Weatherman, what's in the wind?" 

 asked Bobby Coon as the woodchuck came up. 



"Fair and warmer," returned Johnnie Chuck. 



