little brown coat that was waterproof, just like the little brown
coat that Billy Mink wore. Yes, and he dreamed that he had
learned to swim and to catch fish just as Billy Mink did. He
dreamed that the Dear Little Pool was full of little Trouts and
that he was just going to catch one when--splash! Reddy Fox had
rolled right off of the Big Rock into the Dear Little Pool.

The water went into the eyes of Reddy Fox, and it went up his
nose and he swallowed so much that he felt as if he never, never
would want another drink of water. And his beautiful red coat,
which old Mother Fox had told him to be very, very careful of
because he couldn't have another for a whole year, was oh so wet!
And his pants were wet and his beautiful bushy tail, of which he
was so proud, was so full of water that he couldn't hold it up,
but had to drag it up the bank after him as he crawled out of the
Dear Little Pool.

"Ha! Ha! Ha!" laughed Mr. Kingfisher, sitting on a tree.

"Ho! Ho! Ho!" laughed old Mr. Frog, who had climbed back on his
lily pad.

"He! He! He!" laughed all the little Trouts and Mr. Trout and
Mrs. Trout, swimming round and round in the Dear Little Pool.

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Ho! Ho! Ho! He! He! He!" laughed Billy Mink, who had
come back to the Big Rock just in time to see Reddy Fox tumble
in.

Reddy Fox didn't say a word, he was so ashamed. He just crept up