[1]
Now Coyote was always hungry, and as he was a coward, he used to sneak about the fields and timber searching for something to eat.

[2]
One day, as he was walking by the side of a brook, he heard something in a Persimmon Tree.

[3]
He looked up, and there was Opossum eating Persimmons.

[4]
Coyote begged him to throw down some of the fruit, but Opossum only laughed and ate more Persimmons.

[5]
He picked Persimmons, ate them with grunts, and then threw down the seeds at Coyote.

[6]
This he kept on doing.

[7]
By and by Coyote grew angry, but Opossum only laughed the more.

[8]
He crawled out on a branch and dropped down as though he were going to fall into Coyote’s mouth.

[9]
And just when Coyote made a snap at him with his teeth, Opossum, instead of falling, wrapped his tail around the branch and drew himself up.

[10]
This he did again and again.

[11]
Well, Coyote grew more and more angry, then Opossum climbed out on a dry limb, and shouted:

[12]
“Look out! Here I come this time! Catch me!”

[13]
And sure enough, the limb suddenly broke, and down tumbled Opossum to the ground.

[14]
Then Coyote gave him a hard beating, and, leaving him to die, walked away.

[15]
But Opossum was only fooling, for he was not hurt at all.

[16]
As soon as Coyote had gone a little distance, up jumped Opossum and climbed into the Persimmon Tree.

[17]
Coyote turned around to see if Opossum was dead, and there he sat in the tree eating Persimmons, and throwing down the seeds, and laughing.