"We saw Major Monkey before you ever did!"

Mr. Crow promptly flew into a rage.

"You did not!" he squalled.

"Yes, we did!" they declared. "We told people several days ago that we
had seen a stranger hanging by his tail; and nobody believed us
because you said it wasn't possible. You said nobody but a 'possum
could do that, and that no 'possum ever came as far north as Pleasant
Valley."

Old Mr. Crow was very angry. Although he knew that Tommy and Peter
were speaking the truth, he did not care to hear it. Certainly there
was no use of _his_ denying what they said. But an idea popped into
his head.

"Which of you saw the Major first?" he asked.

"I did!" they both bawled at the same time. And then followed a
terrible dispute: _"You didn't! I did! I did! You didn't!"_

Now, that was exactly what Mr. Crow wanted. He had started Peter Mink
and Tommy Fox to quarreling. "They'll never agree," Mr. Crow cried.
"Let's ask Major Monkey to settle the dispute! Let's leave it to him!"
And turning to his friend, the Major, Mr. Crow said: "Which of these
two sharp-nosed rascals did you see first?"

Major Monkey took a bite out of his apple while he looked closely at