benny badger smiled at the owl. he thought he must be fooling.

"you're a joker, aren't you?" said benny. "but i never should have thought it—you look so glum."

the owl seemed somewhat displeased.

"i've never made a joke yet," he declared, "though i've no doubt i could, if i should ever want to."

benny badger glanced from the owl to the hole, and then back again at the strange fellow.

"you don't mean to say you live here, in this hole?" benny exclaimed.

[73]

"certainly; i do," the owl replied sharply.

benny badger couldn't understand how that could be.

"but this is a prairie dog house," he protested.... "where's the chap that built it? he must be around here somewhere."

"i don't know where he is, and i don't care where he is," the owl answered. "i drove him out of this house because i wanted to live here myself. and i didn't trouble myself to see where he went."

benny badger could hardly believe what the owl told him. but he noticed that the fellow had a sharp beak, and sharp claws too.

"i should think you played a joke on the prairie dog," he remarked at last.

"should you?" said the owl. "if it was a joke, it wasn't nearly as big a one[74] as i'll play on anybody that tries to drive me away from here.... i drove a snake away yesterday," he added. and he looked very thoughtfully at benny badger, as if he were picking out a soft place in which to sink his cruel beak.

"you needn't be so touchy," said benny. "i'm not going to disturb you. i'm sure i shouldn't care to live in your house."

the owl was a peppery fellow. he grew angry at once.

"why not?" he demanded. "what's the matter with my house?"

"i'll tell you," benny replied. "it's a second-hand one. and that's bad enough. but it would be still worse if i took it away from you, because then it would be third-hand."

the owl looked daggers at him.

"you've insulted me!" he cried loudly,[75] swelling himself up—or so it seemed.

"have i?" benny badger inquired. "don't mention it! i'm sure you're quite welcome." to tell the truth, he had not the least idea what the owl meant.

naturally, benny's words only made the owl angrier than ever. and he became actually rude.

"if i were you," he spluttered, "until i learned better manners i would dig a hole somewhere, crawl inside it, and pull it in after me."

now, that was a new idea—for benny badger. and he liked it.

"what fun that would be!" he exclaimed. "then when i wanted to go out i'd have to dig my way again!"

the owl gave a queer cry. and looking quite discouraged, he flew off and left benny badger sitting there in the grass.