<div><h1 id='ch6'>CHAPTER VI<br/> <span class='sub-head'>BILLY WARNS BOBBY COON</span></h1></div>
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<p class='line0'>A moment’s carelessness may bring</p>
<p class='line0'>A sudden end to everything.</p>
<p class='line0'>                    <span class='it'>Billy Mink.</span></p>
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<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>For</span> a long time Billy Mink and
Bobby Coon sat gossiping on the
edge of the Laughing Brook. Then
Bobby, having finished what he had
to eat, decided that he would go
down the Laughing Brook to see
what he could find. There’s nothing
Bobby Coon enjoys more than
wandering along the Laughing
Brook, watching for a little fish
to come carelessly within reach, or
just simply playing in the water.
Bobby has almost as much curiosity
as has Peter Rabbit. He simply
has to examine everything which
appears strange. A white pebble
in the water or a shell will catch
his eyes, and he will stop to play
with it.</p>
<p class='pindent'>Billy Mink watched Bobby start
along down the Laughing Brook.
“I wonder what he’ll do when he
comes to that little fence,” thought
Billy. So, to find out what Bobby
would do, he followed him. When
Bobby came to the little fence he
sat down and stared at it in the
funniest way. Then he began to
talk to himself.</p>
<p class='pindent'>“That’s a funny thing,” said he.
“I wonder how that little fence
happens to be here. I’ve never
seen it before. I wonder what
it’s for. Nobody had any business
to build a fence like that.
The only way I can get around
it is to climb way up that bank,
and I don’t want to do that.” You
know Bobby is rather lazy.</p>
<p class='pindent'>So he sat and looked at the
fence, which was made of sticks
stuck down in the ground, and the
more he looked the more determined
he became that he wouldn’t
be stopped and he wouldn’t climb
that bank. Of course it didn’t
take him long to discover that
right in the middle of that fence
was an opening, sort of a gateway.
But it was a very narrow opening.
You see, it had been made just
wide enough for Billy Mink, and
Bobby Coon is a great deal bigger
than Billy Mink.</p>
<p class='pindent'>Bobby went a little nearer and
once more sat down with his head
cocked on one side as he studied
that little opening. “It’s too
narrow for me, but if I try hard
enough, perhaps I can push those
sticks aside and make it wider.
That would be easier than climbing
that steep bank,” thought he.</p>
<p class='pindent'>So Bobby walked a few steps
nearer and again sat down. Somehow,
he had an uncomfortable feeling
that something was wrong.
He didn’t know why he had that
feeling, but he had it. Now whenever
one of the little people of the
Green Forest has that feeling he
becomes very cautious. Bobby was
tempted to try at once to push his
way through that little opening,
but because of that feeling that
something was wrong he hesitated.
Then very carefully he examined
that little fence, from the bottom
of the steep bank clear to the edge
of the water. He smelled of each
separate stick of that fence but
he could smell nothing suspicious.
Those were just plain old sticks
and nothing else. Finally he made
up his mind that there couldn’t be
anything really wrong in at least
trying to go through that little
opening. He reached forward with
one foot to place it right in the
middle of that opening.</p>
<p class='pindent'>“Stop!” cried Billy Mink.</p>
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