PINKIE WHISKERS liked to be a hero so well that he limped about and grunted when he stepped on his foot, even though it did not hurt him. It was so nice to see how sorry everyone looked.

Suddenly he heard a voice above him say, “Too bad! too bad!”

“Why, hello!” cried Sammy Woodchuck. “Where did you come from, Billy Jay?”

“I have been right here in this tree all the time you and your little friends have been here,” laughed Billy Jay.

“Why didn’t you come down and visit with us before, instead of hiding up amongst the leaves,” demanded Sammy Woodchuck rather crossly.

“Because I wanted to see if Pinkie Whiskers could really chop down this tree,” replied Billy Jay.

“Of course I can chop it down. You just watch me,” boasted Pinkie Whiskers. “If I were you, I would leave the tree, for it won’t take me long to chop it in two and you might take a tumble.”

Pinkie Whiskers forgot all about his toe and bandaged foot. He worked as he had never worked before. He became very warm and thirsty. He called to Twinkle:

“Won’t you please bring me some water. I am choking.”

“I would be glad to, if I knew where to find it,” replied Twinkle.

“There is a creek just beyond those trees,” said Billy Jay. “You can take his cap and fill it with water and bring it back to him. I will go with you and show you the way.”

“I will go along also and help Twinkle carry the water back for Pinkie Whiskers. I am sure that cap would be very heavy if it were full of water,” said Winkle.

“Umph! umph!” grunted Sammy Woodchuck. “You have very kind and thoughtful brothers.”

Just then they saw Uncle Whiskers coming across the meadow with a pitch-fork in his hand.

“He must be after some hay to put in his nest,” said Sammy Woodchuck.

Pinkie Whiskers gave a mighty blow at the tree with his axe and turned to look at Uncle Whiskers. It was a fatal mistake, for that last blow chopped the tree in two and it began to sway and totter.

“Run, Pinkie Whiskers, run!” screamed Sammy Woodchuck.

Pinkie Whiskers dropped his axe and ran. Alas! he ran in the wrong direction. As he looked back over his shoulder he saw that the tree was falling right upon him.

“I wish I had run away sooner,” thought Pinkie Whiskers.

Uncle Whiskers saw his danger and shouted, “Dodge to the side, dodge to the side!”

But poor Pinkie Whiskers was so confused that he did not hear. He just ran and ran as fast as his legs could carry him. All the time the tree was falling and in an instant more it would have crashed down and crushed Pinkie Whiskers, had it not been for Billy Jay.

When Billy Jay saw what was happening, he did not say a word, just flew like a streak and grabbed Pinkie Whiskers by his long tail and jerked him out of the way. No, not entirely out of the way, for it was too late for that, but far enough out of the way so that the tree trunk missed him and he was only caught in the branches and covered with green leaves.

“Oh! oh!” cried Twinkle.

“Oh! oh!” cried Winkle. “Our little brother will be killed. Oh! oh!”

They dropped the cap which was full of water and ran to the spot where they had seen Pinkie Whiskers disappear.

Billy Jay came wriggling out and said, “Pinkie Whiskers is all right. Just let him rest where he is for awhile. He is only tired out from running and from fright.”

“Yes, Billy Jay is right. We will let him rest and catch his breath,” said Uncle Whiskers.

It was very hard for Winkle and Twinkle to accept this advice, but they had been taught to obey their elders, so they only looked at one another and stayed where they were.