"Just at the break of day," said Old Mother West Wind, "as Mr.
Sun was coming up from behind the Purple Hills."

"And whom did you see so early in the morning?" asked Old Dame
Nature.

"I saw Bobby Coon going home from old Farmer Brown's cornfield,"
said Old Mother West Wind. "I saw Hooty the Owl coming back from
the lower end of the Green Meadows. I saw Peter Rabbit down in
the berry patch. Last of all I saw something like a black shadow
coming down the Lone Little Path toward the house of Jimmy
Skunk."

Every one was looking very hard at Jimmy Skunk. Jimmy began to
look very unhappy and very uneasy.

"Who wears a black coat?" asked Dame Nature.

"Jimmy Skunk!" shouted all the little meadow folks.

"What MIGHT make whiskers yellow?" asked Old Dame Nature.

No one seemed to know at first. Then Peter Rabbit spoke up. "It
MIGHT be the yolk of an egg," said Peter Rabbit.

"Who are likely to be sleepy on a bright sunny morning?" asked
Old Dame Nature.

"People who have been out all night," said Johnny Chuck, who
himself always goes to bed with the sun.