believe all the good that you may hear,

but always doubt the bad.

pass on the word of kindly cheer;

forget the tale that's sad.

if every one would do that what a different world this would he! my, my, my, yes, indeed! there wouldn't be any place for the granny foxes who start untrue stories just to make trouble. but we will have to say this much for old granny fox,—she seldom does make trouble just for the sake of trouble. no, sir, old granny fox seldom, very seldom makes trouble, unless she or reddy fox have something to gain by it. she is too smart and wise for that.

it was just this way now. you see she felt down in her heart that old man coyote the wolf had no right on the green meadows and in the green forest. he was a stranger from the great west, and she felt that she and reddy fox had the best right there, because they had been born there and always had lived there; and she was afraid, very much afraid, that there wouldn't be room for them and for old man coyote. but she wasn't big or strong enough to fight him and drive him away, and so the only thing she could think of was to make him so much trouble that he would leave. she had begun by telling an untrue story to prickly porky, a story which had made prickly porky very angry with old man coyote, although they had never met. now she was hurrying down to the smiling pool on the banks of which old man coyote was in the habit of taking a sun-bath, she had been told.

sure enough, when she came in sight of the smiling pool, there he lay sprawled out in the sun and talking to grandfather frog, who sat on his big green lily-pad well out of reach from the shore. granny came up on the opposite side of the smiling pool from where old man coyote lay.

“how do you do, mr. coyote? i have just heard that you have come here to make your home among us, and i am sure we all give you a hearty welcome.” granny said this just as if she really meant it, and all the time she was speaking she was smiling. old man coyote watched her out of half-closed eyes and to himself he thought: “i don't believe a word of it. granny fox is too polite, altogether too polite. i wonder what kind of a trick she is trying to play now.”

all the time he was saying this, old man coyote was chuckling inside. but aloud he said, and his voice was just as smooth and soft and pleasant as granny's:

“i'm very well, thank you, and i am much obliged to you for your hearty welcome. i am sure we shall be the best of friends.”

now all the time he was saying this, old man coyote was chuckling inside, for he knew well enough that they wouldn't be friends, and that granny fox didn't want to be friends. you see, he is quite as sharp as she.

“yes, indeed, i am sure we shall,” replied old granny fox. “how big and strong you are, mr. coyote! i shouldn't think that you would be afraid of anybody.”

old man coyote looked flattered. “i'm not,” said he.

granny fox raised her eyebrows as if very much surprised. “is that so?” she exclaimed. “why i heard that prickly porky the porcupine is boasting that you are afraid of him and don't dare put your foot in the green forest when he is about.”

old man coyote suddenly jumped to his feet, and there was an ugly gleam in his yellow eyes. granny fox was glad that she was on the other side of the smiling pool. “i don't know who this prickly porky is,” said he, “but if you'll be so kind as to tell me where i can find him, i think i will make him a call at once.”

“probably he's taking a nap in a tree-top just now,” replied granny, “but it you really want to meet him, you'll find him getting a drink at the laughing brook in the green forest late this afternoon. i do hope that you will be careful, mr. coyote.”

“careful! careful!” snorted he.

“there won't be any prickly porky when i get through with him!”

“chug-a-rum!” said grandfather frog and looked very hard at old granny fox. granny winked the eye that was nearest to him.