“What is this wonderful thing and what is it for?”
“It is an axe,” replied Sammy Woodchuck. “It is very sharp and Farmer Gale uses it to cut down trees. You see he has already started to chop this tree down. He must have been called away and I am sure that he intends to return soon or he would not have left his axe here.”
“I will help him chop down this tree,” said Pinkie Whiskers.
He took off his little red coat and hung it on a stick, which Farmer Gale had stuck in the ground. Then he put his brown cap on top of his little red coat, rolled up his shirt sleeves and began his work.
He swung the axe high above his head and brought it down against the tree with a great bang! He looked and to his disappointment saw that he had not cut even a tiny chip.
“I will try again,” he vowed. “What others have done, I can do.”
He chopped and chopped at the big tree until he was rewarded by bright, yellow chips flying through the air.
Winkle, Twinkle and Sammy Woodchuck stood by and watched him with great admiration. Sammy Woodchuck said:
“You are doing splendid work, Pinkie Whiskers. I will take some of these chips home with me and put them across my front door. I always use the back door. It is more safe.”