Bully had never eaten a woolly worm. He wasn't at all sure he would like the taste of one, so he said, "I won't eat you. Let's be friends."
"I should like to be your friend," replied Woolly Worm, "but I'm afraid I can't trust you."
"I won't eat you," again promised Bully. "You are far too handsome to be eaten."
Woolly Worm knew quite well he was goodlooking, and was proud of his looks. He wore several rings—not the kind children like to wear. Oh, no! His were black and yellow. They were of wool and went around his entire body. They surely made a splendid coat. When Bully called him a handsome fellow he stopped to listen, for he liked to be told that he was well dressed.
"Well, if you won't eat me," said Woolly Worm, "we shall be friends." He talked with short, panting little breaths. His eyes looked as if they were being squeezed from his head, and he seemed to be in great distress.
"What's the matter with you?" asked Bully. "You don't look right."
"I'm afraid I've been too greedy," panted Woolly Worm. "But everything tastes so good, how can I help it? This morning my coat's far too tight for me. I feel as if my inside is too big for my outside."
Bully knew how it felt to wear a tight coat. He also knew how to get a new one. "Can't you get a new coat?" he asked.
"Oh, yes," replied Woolly Worm, "that's no trouble at all. I was just about to change my old coat for a new one when you frightened me from my hiding place."
"Please pardon me," said Bully. "I didn't mean to frighten you. Don't mind me. Just go ahead and change your coat."