it's such a very foolish thing,

so silly and so heedless,

to lose your temper when you know

it is so wholly needless.

when buster bear scrambled to his feet and saw his cousin, bobby coon, scrambling to his feet, buster straightway lost his temper. it was a foolish thing to do, a very foolish thing to do. there really wasn't the least excuse in the world for it. and yet buster mustn't be blamed too much. you see, he wasn't really himself. ordinarily buster is one of the best-natured people in all the green forest. he doesn't begin to be as short-tempered as ever so many others are. in fact, he isn't short-tempered at all.

but just now buster was hungry. he was so hungry that he couldn't think of anything but his stomach and how empty it was. you see, so early in the spring there was very little for him to eat, and he had to hunt and hunt to find that little. when he had started to tear open that tall old stump, he had hoped that inside he would find either a nest of ants, or some of the worms and insects that like to bury themselves in rotting wood. so when bobby coon came rolling out, buster was so disappointed that he quite lost his temper before he had time to think. he flew into a rage. you see, he just took it for granted that bobby coon had been in that hollow stump for the very same purpose that he had torn it open. now it never does to take things for granted. you know and i know that bobby coon had crawled into that stump only to sleep.

buster didn't know this, and buster didn't stop to find it out. he growled a terribly deep, ugly-sounding growl that made all of peter rabbit's hair stand on end. you know, peter was close by, hiding behind a big tree to see all that might happen. then buster bear started for his cousin, bobby coon, and his little eyes seemed to fairly snap fire.

“i'll teach you to steal an honest bear's dinner!” he growled in his deep grumbly, rumbly voice.

now this wasn't fair to bobby, for bobby had stolen no dinner. even if he had been hunting for food in that hollow stump, he would have done no injustice to buster bear. but buster didn't stop to think of this.

“you'll pay for it by furnishing me a dinner yourself!” growled buster.

“but i'm your cousin!” cried bobby, as he started to run.

“that doesn't make a bit of difference,” snapped buster. “i'm hungry enough to eat my own brother if i had one.”

all the time buster was scrambling after bobby coon, and bobby was running for his life. now big as he is, buster can move very fast when he is in a hurry, especially when he is thin and lean. bobby coon squealed with fright and scrambled up a big tree faster than he ever had scrambled up a tree before in all his life. buster growled a deep, grumbly, rumbly growl and started up after him.

“oh! oh!” cried bobby coon, and you may be sure he was very much awake by this time. there was no thought of sleep in bobby's head as he scrambled nearly to the top of that big tree. peter rabbit stared in horror. surely buster bear would catch bobby now!