“Reynard, Snowball, or Rover is going with me to-morrow. I should like you to teach some of your amusing tricks to the one who comes.”
The opossum laughed so hard that Tiny feared he would lose his hold and fall upon him.
“Neither Reynard, Rover, nor Snowball is likely to be benefited by anything that I may teach him,” said the opossum, evidently much pleased by Tiny’s suggestion. “Neither the birds nor the animals admire me.”
“I do not dislike you,” said Tiny, truthfully.
“I am not so dull as one might think. I can sit up and I can hang by my tail.”
“I can sit up, but I cannot hang by my tail,” said Tiny. “Some squirrels can fly, but I am sure I can beat any flying squirrel in a race. A red, a gray, and a black squirrel live close together at Squirreltown. The mayor sends them with messages to other neighboring towns. They are as swift as lightning.”
“Perhaps you wonder why I am looking so closely at that caterpillar,” said the opossum, without stopping to argue concerning the fleetness of squirrels. “All morning long I have watched with anxious eyes.”
“Perhaps you want to see what he is trying to do,” suggested Tiny.
“The caterpillar does not interest me at all,” said the opossum rather brusquely. “I am waiting for a bird to come along to catch the caterpillar. Before the bird catches the worm, I shall catch the bird—”
“And perhaps some hunter will catch you before you can catch the bird,” interrupted Tiny.